Automated characterization of CCD detectors for DECam

The Dark Energy Survey Camera (DECam) will be comprised of a mosaic of 74 charge-coupled devices (CCDs). The Dark Energy Survey (DES) science goals set stringent technical requirements for the CCDs. The CCDs are provided by LBNL with valuable cold probe data at 233 K, providing an indication of which CCDs are more likely to pass. After comprehensive testing at 173 K, about half of these qualify as science grade. Testing this large number of CCDs to determine which best meet the DES requirements is a very time-consuming task. We have developed a multistage testing program to automatically collect and analyze CCD test data. The test results are reviewed to select those CCDs that best meet the technical specifications for charge transfer efficiency, linearity, full well capacity, quantum efficiency, noise, dark current, cross talk, diffusion, and cosmetics.