Focal plane assemblies (FPAs) assembly, integration, and verification (AIV): from small to large array detectors

J. F. Cabrero; A. Valverde; G. Ramos; M. T. Rodrigo; L. M. González; T. Belenguer

doi:10.1117/12.3020616

23 August 2024 Focal plane assemblies (FPAs) assembly, integration, and verification (AIV): from small to large array detectors

J. F. Cabrero, A. Valverde, G. Ramos, M. T. Rodrigo, L. M. González, T. Belenguer

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13092, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 130924N (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020616
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

The Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) in optics is the unit located at the focal plane position of the different optical instruments. Each FPA hosts the detectors on support structures and associated interfaces (I/Fs) as quasi-static mounts which assemble them with the rest of the mechanical parts of the instrument; the electronic I/Fs as the flexi-cables connecting each detector to the Front End Electronics (FEE); and the thermomechanical I/Fs as the Thermal Straps (TS) attaching these devices in order to dissipate their heat. Due to the critical repeatability aspect of the different models (QM, FM, FS) in the space missions, each FPA must be identical with stringent specifications, which includes strict opto-mechanical positioning tolerances. These very demanding metrological requirements only can be reached under a special industrialization of alignment processes and an automatic metrology verification thanks to a high-precision, high-performance non-contact vision dimensional measurement system with micrometric or even better accuracy. After the in-lab conditions assembly activities, a better alignment attending the acquired knowledge and lessons learned of past cases have been used to implement improvements into the alignment of new large FPAs for acceptance testing. The optical metrological performances verification carried out before and after the acceptance test campaign of FPAs has been successfully passed and several Flight Models (FMs) have been assembled by the AIV Team from the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) following ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardization) policy, and have been delivered to ESA’s subcontractors for performing the formal acceptance processes at instrument level under increasingly tight schedule constraints.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

J. F. Cabrero, A. Valverde, G. Ramos, M. T. Rodrigo, L. M. González, and T. Belenguer "Focal plane assemblies (FPAs) assembly, integration, and verification (AIV): from small to large array detectors", Proc. SPIE 13092, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 130924N (23 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020616

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