On-ground characterization of the Euclid low noise CCD273 sensor for precise galaxy shape measurements

The VISible imaging instrument VIS is one of two instruments on board the Euclid telescope. The focal plane consists of 36 CCD273-84 sensors manufactured by the e2v technologies. The sensors are designed to provide a maximum charge transfer efficiency (CTE) to minimize distortions to source shapes. Each sensor undergoes a rigorous on-ground electro-optical testing at several stages of the mission to ensure that strict requirements are met before the launch of the spacecraft. This paper summarizes the commissioning of the Euclid CCD273 testing facility at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), the lead institute for VIS . The testing bench supports the measurements of the point spread function (PSF), system noise and the flat field evaluation. Accurate spot measurements are extremely important for the precise modelling and general understanding of an instrument's PSF . We show the preliminary results of the optical characterization of the pre-development devices with a special interest in the measurements of the PSF at different illumination levels and in the VIS spectral range of 550–900 nm. Additionally, the influence of the on-ground testing environment and a dedicated readout electronics on the obtained images is taken into consideration.