Detector test and calibration facility at IAC

The reliable knowledge of a detector is very important in astrophysical research The aim of IAC (Instituto de Asirofisica de Canarias Spain) is to dispose of a versatile system to test evaluate and calibrate a big vanety of imaging detectors which viill be opc ned in the future to the scientific community The main features of this detector test bench are as follows (a) Wide spectral range (JR and visible) and (b) Wide radiation response range For this purpose a compact and c omplete arrangement has been designed Optical, mechanic ,cryogenic and electronic devices are flexible enough to allow the acquisition of data necessary to characterize the detector in a direct way (linearity, dark noise, spectral and time response,...). The high speed of the readout, the data acquisition system and other parameters are designed in such a way, that will make the facility virtually independent of the detector itself. This will allow reliable comparison between different detectors, and also with approved standards. Several procedures and practical examples are extensively discussed in the paper