A VERSATILE CCD WAVE-FRONT CURVATURE SENSOR

Small-format CCD detectors are well suited to wave front sensing appli cations. The prototype wave front sensor described here is based on a low-noise frame transfer 64 x 64 device with a DSP56002-based controll er. The subaperture patterns necessary for curvature sensing are forme d by extensive serial register binning. The reduced number of pixels a llows rapid frame rates with low readout noise. The CCD is thermoelect rically cooled to minimize dark current. Versatility is achieved by ha ving the serial binning pattern and the number of subapertures under s oftware control.