Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

Detector Development Lab (DDL)

Engineer at work in the Detector Development Lab (DDL) which is a microelectronics fabrication facility dedicated to the development of advanced detectors, micro-electrical-mechanical-systems (MEMS), nano-scale devices, circuits, and components for NASA’s missions.
Engineer at work in the Detector Development Lab (DDL), which is a microelectronics fabrication facility dedicated to the development of advanced detectors, micro-electrical-mechanical-systems (MEMS), nano-scale devices, circuits, and components for NASA’s missions.

Pioneering Advanced Detectors

The DDL is a microelectronics fabrication facility dedicated to the development of advanced detectors, micro-electrical-mechanical-systems (MEMS), nano-scale devices, circuits, and components for NASA’s missions. The laboratory is built around a 4,800 square foot, ISO 5 cleanroom, housing an extensive array of semiconductor processing equipment to perform full-scale, custom, wafer fabrication up to 200mm. The lab contains a large variety of semiconductor fabrication equipment for optical and electron beam lithography, wet and dry etching, oxidation, diffusion, thin film deposition, metallization and device characterization.

The large sub-kelvin TES focal plane assembly for ESA's Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission.
The large sub-kelvin TES focal plane assembly for ESA’s Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission.

The Detector Development Lab (DDL) is managed by ETD’s Instrument Systems and Technology Division (ISTD). Contact ISTD for more information.