DALSA Semiconductor Division builds chips for NASA Mars Rover Missions

JUNE 16--CCD image-sensor chips onboard the two Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions were manufactured at the semiconductor division of DALSA Corporation (Bromont, Quebec, Canada;www.dalsa.com). The space-qualified chips, which are part of sophisticated camera systems for navigation and scientific investigation, were designed in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL; Pasadena, CA).

The chips are critical components in the nine electronic cameras aboard the two identical MERs. Each camera integrates a scientific-grade, 1024 x 1024-pixel CCD image sensor that was fabricated in close collaboration with engineers at the JPL and manufactured at the DALSA Bromont wafer foundry. Three of the cameras on the Rover are responsible for scientific investigation while six others aid in navigating the vehicle on the surface of Mars. The cameras will serve as the vehicle's "electronic eyes" as it examines its landing site for geological evidence of past liquid water activity and past environmental conditions hospitable to life.

The two Panoramic Cameras (Pancams), which use the DALSA-manufactured chips, are the most sophisticated color imaging systems ever sent to the surface of another planet. The pair of Pancam stereo cameras is located on a "camera bar" that sits on top of the mast of the Rover. The two cameras will take high-resolution views of the surface and sky through eight different colored filters. Pancam's mast assembly allows the cameras to rotate a complete 360° while the camera bar itself can swing up or down through 180° of elevation. This allows the cameras to generate panoramic image mosaics as large as 4000 pixels high by 24,000 pixels around.