Mars-rover "Curiosity"
Robust enough for Mars - our SiC diodes in the NASA rover "Curiosity"
ifw optronics supplied the radiation-resistant SiC-UV detectors for the successful NASA Mars mission "Mars Science Laboratory" with the Mars rover "Curiosity". As part of the Rover Weather Station (REMS), the UV radiation values of various SiC diodes in five wavelength ranges have been reliably recorded for more than 2000 sols.
Here, large-area SiC chips with their own and customer-specific filters as well as a low-temperature matched construction technique are used. Ring-shaped permanent magnets around the photodiodes reduce the deposition of the iron-containing sand on Mars. The area within a permanent magnet in the center of the photodiode array serves as a reference for the absolute contamination of the diodes.
Related links:
Overview of the technical realization:
Centro de Astrobiología Madrid