Trouble in Your Tank: Understanding Interconnect Defects, Part 1
It’s Only Common Sense: Marketing Isn’t Fluff, It’s Ammunition
Driving Innovation: Mechanical and Optical Processes During Rigid-flex Production
New Galaxy-hunting Sky Camera Sees Redder Better
February 3, 2016 | LBLEstimated reading time: 5 minutes
Berkeley Lab supplied the charge-coupled devices (CCDs) that capture light and the readout system that translates the light into images, and Yale was responsible for new mechanical components and software. David Rabinowitz at Yale oversaw the software development, working closely with NOAO astronomers and engineers.
Mosaic-3 is equipped with four CCDs, each measuring about 6 square inches and containing 16 megapixels. Each pixel in the CCDs is about 100 times larger in area than a pixel in an iPhone 6 camera sensor, and each Mosaic-3 CCD is about 50 times larger in area than the iPhone 6 camera sensor.
“It’s really the light-gathering power that matters,” said Armin Karcher, a Berkeley Lab design engineer who built a compact, flexible readout system for the camera.
The large pixel size and overall CCD size are key in gathering light, and the 0.5-millimeter thickness of the CCDs helps the CCDs see deeper into the infrared wavelengths.
The moon, as seen in the infrared with the new Mosaic-3 camera on the Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This zoom view resolves features as small as one mile. Mosaic-3’s primary mission for the next two years is to scan about one-eighth of the sky, collecting infrared images of millions of galaxies and stars. (Image credit: Arjun Dey/NOAO, David Rabinowitz/Yale, David Sprayberry/NOAO, Bob Marshall/NOAO, Behzad Abareshi/NOAO, Christian Soto/NOAO; Mosiac-3 Commissioning Team)
Steve Holland, an engineer at Berkeley Lab who invented these red-sensitive CCDs, said he was already engaged in the design of similar CCDs for the DESI project when Mosaic-3 launched. “It was serendipitous,” he said.
Christopher Bebek, who manages Berkeley Lab’s CCD group and served as the lab’s liaison on the Mosaic-3 project, added, “This was like a dress rehearsal for detectors and electronics for DESI.” An updated CCD design is now in production for DESI, which will require 20 of these CCDs for its spectrograph system.
The Mosaic-3 instrument upgrade was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science through the DESI project, and by NOAO. The DESI project is managed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Page 2 of 2Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Defense Speak Interpreted: The Autonomous Plane Battle—Skyborg Vs. Loyal Wingman
10/07/2025 | Dennis Fritz -- Column: Defense Speak InterpretedI’m awaiting the updates for the U.S. Air Force's Skyborg and Loyal Wingman airborne driverless vehicles. As the hype of self-driving cars has given way to more mundane autonomous activities, so too has the hype of uncrewed planes given way to reality. In cars, the SAE International association classifies degrees of autonomy from 0 to 5, as do some defense aerospace applications of unmanned flight, which have been reduced to practice, while others remain under development.
STMicroelectronics' STARLight Project to Lead EU Silicon Photonics on 300mm Wafers
09/23/2025 | STMicroelectronicsThe STARLight project brings together a consortium of leading industrial and academic partners to position Europe as a technology leader in 300mm silicon photonics (SiPho) technology by establishing a high-volume manufacturing line, developing leading-edge optical modules, and fostering a complete value chain.
Curing and Verification in PCB Shadow Areas
09/17/2025 | Doug Katze, DymaxDesign engineers know a simple truth that often complicates electronics manufacturing: Light doesn’t go around corners. In densely populated PCBs, adhesives and coatings often fail to fully cure in shadowed regions created by tall ICs, connectors, relays, and tight housings.
VIDEOTON EAS's Bulgarian Subsidiary Expands Into Automotive Products
09/15/2025 | VideotonVEAS Bulgaria, engaged in electronics manufacturing, has joined the ranks of VIDEOTON companies authorized to produce automotive products.
Dymax Mexico to Showcase Light-Curing Technologies at SMTA Guadalajara Expo & Tech Forum 2025
09/05/2025 | DymaxDymax, a global manufacturer of rapid light-curing materials and equipment, will participate in SMTA Guadalajara Expo & Tech Forum, taking place September 17-18, 2025, at the Guadalajara Expo Center in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.