Speaker
Description
The Wide Field Imager (WFI), one of two instruments aboard the NewATHENA X-ray space telescope, includes a Camera Head comprising a large detector array and a Fast Detector (FD). Both utilize Depleted P-channel Field Effect Transistor (DEPFET) sensors with identical pixel sizes and technology. The large array consists of four quadrants, each containing a DEPFET sensor, while the smaller FD shares the same design. These sensors are operated and read out by FrontEnd Electronics (FEE) application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) mounted in close proximity to the DEPFET sensors. To manage the differing thermal requirements of the DEPFETs and FEEs, the design separates their respective cooling chains.
To validate this thermal concept, the FD prototype underwent thermal cycling tests in the TVK 5 vacuum chamber at MPE’s X4 test facility. The objectives were to verify the thermal design and assess whether the adhesive bonds in the design and bondwires between the ASICs and DEPFET sensors withstand temperature cycling. The results confirmed the robustness of the thermal design and the mechanical stability of the adhesive bonds and bondwires. This presentation covers the test article, outcomes, and insights gained.
