Initial Laboratory and Sky Testing Results for the Second Generation H4RG-10 4k x 4k, 10 Micron Visible CMOS-Hybrid Detector

We present the initial performance test results for the H4RG-10 (A2), the second generation of the H4RG-10 visible CMOS-Hybrid Sensor Chip Assembly (SCA). The first science grade H4RG-10 (A2), delivered in 2009, is an evolution of the first generation A1, first delivered and tested in 2007. The H4RG-10 is primarily intended for ground- and space-based astronomical applications. Our evaluation focused on the performance parameters as they are related to astrometric applications. We find that the A2 SCA shows high pixel interconnect (99.6%), and low read noise (10-15 e- RMS) when operated at high speeds, consistent with A1 results. Most importantly, the H4RG-10 (A2) shows a dramatic improvement in dark current vs. the A1, with a two order of magnitude reduction in mean dark level and significantly reduced hot pixel population below 200 K. Published in the proceedings of the SPIE, v7439 p74390E-74390E-10 (2009). Prepared in cooperation with University of Hawaii, Honolulu; Global Science and Technology, Greenbelt; and Goddard Space Flight Center. The original document contains color images.