Overview of the SAPHIRA Detector for AO Applications

TL;DR

This paper reviews the operation, readout modes, and performance characteristics of the SAPHIRA HgCdTe avalanche photodiode detector, emphasizing its suitability for adaptive optics wavefront sensing in astronomy.

Contribution

It provides a detailed overview of SAPHIRA detector operation, including readout schemes, noise sources, and gain mechanisms, highlighting its application in adaptive optics.

Findings

Analysis of three readout modes and their trade-offs.

Demonstration of subarray readout for higher frame rates.

Clarification of avalanche gain versus charge gain mechanisms.

Abstract

We discuss some of the unique details of the operation and behavior of Leonardo SAPHIRA detectors, particularly in relation to their usage for adaptive optics wavefront sensing. SAPHIRA detectors are 320$\times$256@24 $\mu$m pixel HgCdTe linear avalanche photodiode arrays and are sensitive to 0.8-2.5 $\mu m$ light. SAPHIRA arrays permit global or line-by-line resets, of the entire detector or just subarrays of it, and the order in which pixels are reset and read enable several readout schemes. We discuss three readout modes, the benefits, drawbacks, and noise sources of each, and the observational modes for which each is optimal. We describe the ability of the detector to read subarrays for increased frame rates, and finally clarify the differences between the avalanche gain (which is user-adjustable) and the charge gain (which is not).