The Dark Energy Camera readout system

Abstract

The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) was developed for use by the Dark Energy Survey (DES). The camera will be installed in the Blanco 4M telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and be ready for observations in the second half of 2012. The focal plane consists of 62 2×4K and 12 2×2K fully depleted CCDs. The camera provides a 3 sq. degree view and the survey will cover a 5000 sq. degree area. The camera cage and corrector have already been installed. The development of the electronics to readout the focal plane was a collaborative effort by multiple institutions in the United States and in Spain. The goal of the electronics is to provide readout at 250 kpixels/second with less than 15erms noise. Integration of these efforts and initial testing took place at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. DECam currently resides at CTIO and further testing has occurred in the Coudé room of the Blanco. In this paper, we describe the development of the readout system, test results and the lessons learned.