DARKNESS, the Dark-speckle Near-IR Energy-resolved Superconducting Spectrophotometer, will integrate with existing coronagraphs at the Palomar 200-inch Hale telescope. DARKNESS will significantly improve the contrast ratio over what may be achieved with a conventional Integral Field Unit (IFU). Advantages over conventional IFUs include:
1. Vastly simplified optical design with very high throughput
2. Operation from 700--1800 nm with energy resolution R~20 at 1 micron allows spectral suppression of speckles
3. Zero read noise and zero dark current photon counting enabling the Dark Speckle technique for contrast enhancement
More info here.