NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has awarded Associate Professor Casey DeRoo a $24,225 grant to evaluate the suitability of commercially available CMOS sensors for small satellite missions. These missions will conduct observations in the X-ray bandwidth to achieve scientific objectives relevant to NASA Astrophysics.

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors are used in cell phones and digital cameras to turn incoming light into a digital image but are also used in dental X-ray devices and medical imaging.  The CMOS active pixel sensor was invented when NASA needed to miniaturize cameras for interplanetary missions. 

The study aims to identify CMOS sensors as potential detectors for a follow-up mission to HaloSat, which utilized silicon drift detectors (SDDs) for X-ray detection. Unlike the older sensors that only capture one point of data at a time, the new pixelated CMOS sensors can capture multiple points. This helps them filter out unwanted noise, making the actual signals much clearer. UI will compare the performance of CMOS sensors, including the Sony IMX290, against the Amptek SDDs used in HaloSat.

As a leader in the development of X-ray technologies, the UI is uniquely qualified to perform the study. The HaloSat CubeSat mission, which studied the mass and shape of the Milky Way's halo, was developed, built, tested, and operated at UI. These facilities and equipment remain, making UI ideally suited to study the detector requirements for a successor mission, DeRoo said.

DeRoo is an expert in the characterization of commercial CMOS sensors. He has maintained an active research program in this area with multiple peer-reviewed publications in the past four years. Graduate student Colin Packard, working under Dr. DeRoo’s supervision, leads the characterization efforts on the IMX290.