The flight model of the ECLAIRs instrument is beginning to take shape. During the period of lockdown, there were few people in the CNES clean room and above all a lot of calm. This moment was used by the IRAP team to carry out the integration of the 6400 detectors of the detection plan of the ECLAIRs instrument. Thus, 200 “XRDPIX” modules of 32 pixels each were patiently and meticulously checked, installed and aligned on the cold plate of the instrument during two weeks. This step crowns more than 15 years of efforts around the development and characterization of these detection modules. During this long period, 14,000 elementary detectors were supplied and carefully sorted, leading to the realization of just over 300 XRDPIX modules and the selection of the 200 best ones, which today constitute the detection plan of the ECLAIRs instrument flight model.
The next step is now to integrate, on the other side of the detection plane, the interface cards to supply power and read the detectors. The first electrical tests will then take place, before a mechanical characterization test scheduled for July.
