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Solid State Sensor Research
This group is interested in the development of new solid state imagers
for use in ground based astronomy, space based systems, medical imaging
and remote sensing. New two dimensional arrays are designed, fabricated,
diced & bonded, and finally tested at RIT. The arrays are then used
in new imaging systems such as a tip-tilt atmospheric correction imaging
system, a true digital photon counting system, and a small compact linearly
variable filter coated push-broom scanner.
- Charge Injection Devices and Active Pixel Sensors
Astronomical Imaging
In addition the group has interests in astronomical observing programs.
Typically we use our own CCD camera system on any of a variety of telescopes,
both local and international. Our two principal cameras both use large
format chips (one is a 2048 x 2048 and the other a 4096 x 4096 CCD chip
both manufactured by the Eastman Kodak Company) that are cooled used thermoelectric coolers
and refrigerated liquid circulation to about -50 C. A recent observational project involves
the study of young stellar clusters located in our own galaxy. In particular
we are interested in determining the mass functiuon of such regions so
as to understand the mechanisms of star formation. Our recent work includes:
A study of IC 1805 using data from the Northern Planetary Patrol Telescope in Hawaii.
A study of Berkeley 86 using the Monterey Institute for Astronomy (MIRA) Telescope at Chews Ridge in California.
A study of NGC 3293 and NGC 2363 (Tau CMa) using the University of Toronto Southern Observatory in Chile.
Searching for planetary systems other than those orbiting our own sun.
Our approach is to observe eclipsing binary star systems and to search
for either variation in the brightness of the systems (i.e. a transit by
a planet) or to look for periodic changes in the phase of the ecipse minimas,
We are members of the international consortium known as the TEP Network.
During the summer of 1996 our CCD camera was used on the Lick Observatory
Crossley Telescope for three months (in collaboration with Laurance Doyle
of SETI @ NASA Ames) to obtain photometric data on approximately a
dozen eclipsing binary systems.
Observation of comets and nebula. The CCD camera has been used behind
a tunable liquid crystal filter (LCF) that allows the center pass band
of 5 nm to be selected anywhere in the range between 400 and 720 nm. For
an example see images obtained at MIRA of the
Orion Nebula
with the LCF tuned both on and off the Hydrogen balmer series alpha line.
Our current filter has a 35 mm aperture and a tuning time of about 30 msec.
The filter is commercially available from Cambridge Research and Instrumentation of
Massachusetts.
Observations using the Starfire Optical Range in New Mexico to study
photometric and imaging quality of a system using active optics.
In addition a study
of Jupiter using an IR 58 x 62 pixels InSb camera at the NASA Infrared
Telescope Facilty in Hawaii has been made.
Lab Members
- Zoran Ninkov , Associate Professor, Imaging Science
- Roger Easton , Assistant Professor, Imaging Science
- James Kern , Professor, Physics
- Anne Young, Associate Professor, Physics
- Robert Slawson PhD (U.Waterloo) - Post-Doctoral Fellow
- Elliott Horch PhD (Stanford) - Post-Doctoral Fellow
- Min-Ming Wu PhD (Shanghai) - Research Scientist
- Gerrutt Lubberts PhD (Rochester) - Research Scientist
- Brian Backer - PhD Student (Active Optics)
- Dan Kavaldjiev - PhD Student (Detector Characterization)
- Al Piterman - PhD Student
- Alina Gorcea - MS Student
Facilities
- The RIT Observatory Page
- The Mees Observatory of the University of Rochester
- The RIT Microelectronics Facility
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