Michael Lesser

Dr. Michael Lesser is the Director of the University of Arizona Imaging Technology Laboratory in Tucson, AZ. He is an Astronomer at Steward Observatory and a Research Professor in Optical Sciences at the UArizona. He specializes in the optimization of scientific CCD and CMOS imaging sensors for scientific applications, particularly for astronomical use. Over the past 30 years his laboratory has developed many new image sensors as well as methods to backside illuminate, package, characterize, and operate those sensors. They have delivered over 4,000 devices to the world-wide scientific and industrial communities. 

Dr. Lesser’s ground-based projects include sensors for LSST, DESI, WIYN, NOAO, USNO, Keck, Magellan, SAO, HET, and ESO. 

His spaced-based projects include work on Hubble ACS, GOES-R, S and T (GLM), TEMPO, GEMS, SBSS, Suzaku, DSCOVR (EPIC), and PACE (OCI).

Semiconductor processing developments include silicon etching of various doping levels for reduced dark current and increased quantum efficiency, thin film coating design and applications for silicon imagers, packaging techniques for both large format sensors and focal plane mosaics, and imaging sensor software and techniques for characterization. He received a B. A. in astronomy from UCLA in 1981 and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Arizona in 1988.

Focus Area

Director of the Imaging Technology Laboratory (ITL) which develops semiconductor enhancement techniques related to silicon imaging sensors. ITL is affiliated with CSM.