LSST Camera Raft Integration Support Equipment: Design, Assembly and Test Status

摘要

We present the mechanical device used to install the Raft Tower Modules (RTMs) into the cryostat of the camera for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). In an RTM, the charge-coupled devices (CCDs) are packaged into a 3 × 3 Raft Sensor Assembly (RSA) and coupled to a Raft Electronics Crate (REC). An RTM weighs -10 kg, is roughly 500 mm tall, and has a 126.5 mm-square footprint at the CCDs. The grid array which supports the RTM in the cryostat has a center-to-center distance of 127 mm. One of the key challenges for installing the RTMs is the 500 μm gap between CCDs of adjacent modules-contact between adjacent CCDs is strictly forbidden.