Development of the Next Generation Microshutter Arrays for Space Telescope Applications

Chang, Meng-Ping; Brekosky, Regis P.; Brown, Ari D.; Costen, Nicholas; Greenhouse, Matthew A.; Hu, G.; Kim, Kyowon; Kotecki, Carl A.; Kutyrev, A.; Li, Mary J.; McCandliss, Stephan R.; Wang, Frederick H.

doi:10.1109/nems50311.2020.9265604

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…Each microshutter can be commanded to open or close to match the position of targets in any astronomical field. The team’s newly developed NexGen Micro-Shutter Array (NGMSA) technology [ 18 ] intends to achieve a larger array format in order to meet the requirements of larger FOV for future telescopes in space. A similar microshutter array based on electrostatic actuation is developed for a ground-based infrared telescope at the Tokyo Atacama Observatory on a 5640-m-high mountain in Chile [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Electromagnetic-Driven Microshutter Array in a Field-of-View Gated Image System for All-Time Star Sensors

Fang

Wang

et al. 2023

Micromachines

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Aiming at the application requirements of a field of view (FOV) gated imaging system for all-time star sensors, a key device of a microshutter array with large unit size, high duty cycle, and fast response speed based on the electromagnetic actuation is designed. The proposed microshutter array adopts the principle that the current-carrying coil is subjected to the magnetic force in the magnetic field. The coil element is deflected by the loading current and acts as a light barrier in realizing the optical switch function. The effects of the coil element parameters on the magnetic force torque, torsion beam resistance torque, and switch response time are analyzed, and the structural parameters of the coil element are determined. A sample of the proposed microshutter array based on the electromagnetic actuation with a 4-mm period and a 2.8-mm aperture is fabricated and tested. The test results demonstrate the good switching function of the proposed microshutter array and show that the switch response time of the microshutter element is approximately 2.5 ms. This proposed microshutter array is used to gate an instantaneous small FOV to suppress the sky’s background radiation and make a FOV-gated imaging system realize the multi-stars detection by switching the gated FOV rapidly. This will solve the problem that only one star can be detected within the FOV by a traditional all-time star tracker and promote the all-time star sensor to realize star pattern recognition and autonomous astronomical navigation in the daytime.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Electromagnetic-Driven Microshutter Array in a Field-of-View Gated Image System for All-Time Star Sensors

Fang

Wang

et al. 2023

Micromachines

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Modelling analysis for design of microshutters with new electrode configuration

Kutyrev

Kotecki

et al. 2022

Sensors and Actuators A: Physical

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An enhanced contrast evaluation testbed for next-generation microshutter arrays

Mitchell,

McCandliss,

Pelton

et al. 2023

UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII

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Next-Generation Microshutter Arrays (NGMSA) are customizable multi-aperture spectrograph slit masks manufactured by Goddard Spaceflight Center (GSFC) that have an advanced pure electrical actuation and latching mode, which is considerably more robust than the scanning magnetic actuation and electric latching method used by the first generation MSA devices on JWST 's NIRSpec. These first generation devices were found to have an average open-to-closed contrast ratio of ∼ 66,000 at visible and near-infrared wavelengths (Kutyrev et al. 2008). 1 NGMSA have been baselined in the multi-object UV spectroscopic designs for Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) and other Explorer missions. Consequently, the near-UV contrast of these devices as a function of input focal ratio is of great interest. Here we present an update to the contrast evaluation apparatus first reported in Carter et al. ( 2021), 2 but with an improved doublet projection and imaging optical train. Overall spherical aberration is considerably reduced, and the analysis of a prototype flight array yields significantly higher contrast than found in that initial work; emphasizing the need for high quality projection and imaging optics for precise contrast measurements. There is a clear monotonically increasing relationship between contrast and f/#. At ratios slower than f/15 we find single slit contrast ratios in excess of 100,000 using Hg emission line source at 1849 and 2537 Å and with a narrowband filtered continuum D 2 lamp at 3004 Å. The contrast using a 2214 Å filter with the D 2 lamp was somewhat lower (> 60,000), but may have contributions from chromatic aberration in the quartz optics and out-of-band leakage in the interference filters. Requirements for enabling the measurement of NGMSA contrast in the vacuum ultraviolet below ∼ 1800 Å are addressed.

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Development of the Next Generation Microshutter Arrays for Space Telescope Applications

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

An Electromagnetic-Driven Microshutter Array in a Field-of-View Gated Image System for All-Time Star Sensors

An Electromagnetic-Driven Microshutter Array in a Field-of-View Gated Image System for All-Time Star Sensors

Modelling analysis for design of microshutters with new electrode configuration

An enhanced contrast evaluation testbed for next-generation microshutter arrays

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