Upgrade of CCD Spectroscopy for the MMTO and Steward Observatory

几家公司已经生产出性能优异的CCD探测器， 噪声、可忽略的暗电流和高电荷转移 效率 这些设备几乎是理想的天文 观察，除了低的整体量子效率 (QE)成像面积小。 在史都华天文台， 开发了CCD制造优化工艺， 商业生产的器件可以减薄 照明、背面充电和背面涂覆。 这 该程序现已在多个设备上成功演示 由Loral Aeronautronics Corporation制造。 由于这一成功，我们开展了一项联合计划， 国家光学天文台（NOAO） 定制设计两种CCD探测器格式，用于天文学 谱 这两种装置各有88个， 制造（由NOAO承担费用）， 非常有用的品质。 在这份提案中，我们寻求资金 用于减薄、封装、背面充电、 涂层，并在这些设备中的几个实施例中， 这两台最大的望远镜的光谱仪 亚利桑那州;山的多镜望远镜（MMT）。霍普金斯和 2.3基特峰上的300米望远镜。 这些仪器是重体力劳动者 教师、学生和学生经常使用的设施光谱仪， 游客，并将从改善的光谱中受益匪浅 覆盖范围更广，效率更高，成像表面更平坦， 新探测器的噪音。 特别是MMT光谱仪 将首次拥有一个二维探测器 蓝色和近紫外线的观测。 这将开启全新的 可以有效地进行观察的类别 大口径望远镜

Several companies have produced excellent CCD detectors with low noise, negligible dark current, and high charge-transfer efficiency. These devices are nearly ideal for astronomical observations, with the exception of low overall quantum efficiency (QE) and small imaging area. At Steward Observatory a post- manufacture CCD optimizing process has been developed with which commercially produced devices can be thinned for backside illumination, backside charging and antireflection coating. This procedure has now been demonstrated successfully on several devices manufactured at the Loral Aeronautronics Corporation. As a result of this success, we have undertaken a joint program with the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) to custom-design two CCD detector formats for use in astronomical spectroscopy. Eighty-eight of each of these two devices have been manufactured (at NOAO's expense) with potentially 20% of astronomically useful quality. In this proposal we seek funding for the thinning, packaging, backside charging, antireflection coating, and implementation of several of these devices in the spectrographs of the two largest telescopes at the University of Arizona; the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) on Mt. Hopkins and the 2.3 m telescope on Kitt Peak. These instruments are workhorse facility spectrographs routinely used by faculty, students, and visitors, and will benefit greatly by the improved spectral coverage, higher efficiency, flatter imaging surface, and lower noise of the new detectors. The MMT spectrograph in particular will for the first time have a two-dimensional detector available for blue and near-UV observations. This will open entirely new classes of observations which can be efficiently made with this large aperture telescope.