The adaptive gain integrating pixel detector (AGIPD) is a development of a collaboration between Deustsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), the Paul-Scherrer-Institute (PSI), the University of Hamburg and the University of Bonn. The detector is designed to cope with the demanding challenges of the European XFEL. Therefore it comes along with an adaptive gain stage allowing a high dynamic range, spanning from single photon sensitivity to 10(4) x 12.4 keV photons and 352 analogue memory cells per pixel. The aim of this report is to briefly explain the concepts of the AGIPD electronics and mechanics and then present recent experiments demonstrating the functionality of its key features.
The Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector (AGIPD) is a hybrid pixel X-ray detector for the European-XFEL. One of the detector's important parts is the radiation tolerant front end ASIC fulfilling the European-XFEL requirements: high dynamic range-from sensitivity to single 12.5keV-photons up to 104 photons. It is implemented using the dynamic gain switching technique with three possible gains of the charge sensitive preamplifier. Each pixel can store up to 352 images in memory operated in random-access mode at >= 4.5MHz frame rate. An external vetoing may be applied to overwrite unwanted frames.
AGIPD-(Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector) is a hybrid pixel X-ray detector developed by a collaboration between Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Paul-Scherrer-Institut (PSI), University of Hamburg and the University of Bonn. The detector is designed to comply with the requirements of the European XFEL. The radiation tolerant Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is designed with the following highlights: high dynamic range, spanning from single photon sensitivity up to 10(4) 12.5keV photons, achieved by the use of the dynamic gain switching technique using 3 possible gains of the charge sensitive preamplifier. In order to store the image data, the ASIC incorporates 352 analog memory cells per pixel, allowing also to store 3 voltage levels corresponding to the selected gain. It is operated in random-access mode at 4.5MHz frame rate. The data acquisition is done during the 99.4ms between the bunch trains. The AGIPD has a pixel area of 200 x 200 m m(2) and a 500 m m thick silicon sensor is used. The architecture principles were proven in different experiments and the ASIC characterization was done with a series of development prototypes. The mechanical concept was developed in the close contact with the XFEL beamline scientists and is now being manufactured. A first single module system was successfully tested at APS.
Due to the availability of X-ray imaging detectors, full-field X-ray fluorescence (FF-XRF) imaging technique has become achievable, which provides an alternative to scanning X-ray fluorescence imaging with a micro-focus X-ray beamline. In this paper, we present a setup based on straight capillary optics and an energy-dispersive hybrid pixel detector, which can perform simultaneous mapping of several chemical elements. The photon transmission efficiency and spatial resolution are compared between two X-ray collimation setups: one using pinhole optics and one using straight polycapillary optics. There is a tradeoff between the spatial resolution and transmission efficiency when considering X-ray optics. When optimizing the spatial resolution, using straight capillary optics achieved a higher intensity gain when comparing with the pinhole setup. Characterization of the polycapillary imaging setup is performed through analyzing various samples in order to investigate the spatial frequency response and the energy sensitivity. This developed setup is capable of FF-XRF imaging in characteristic energies below 20 keV, while for higher energies the spatial resolution is affected by photon transmission through the collimator. This work shows the potential of the FF-XRF instrument in the monitoring of toxic metal distributions in environmental mapping measurements.
Elemental mapping images can be achieved through step scanning imaging using pinholeopticsor microporeoptics(MPO),oralternativelybyfull-field X-ray fluorescenceimaging (FF-XRF). X-ray optics for FF-XRF canbe manufacturedwith different micro-channelgeometries such as square, hexagonal or circular channels. Each optic geometry creates different imaging artefacts. Square-channel MPOs generate a high intensity central spot due to two reflections via orthogonal channel walls inside a single channel, which is the desirable part for image formation, and two perpendicular lines forming a cross due to reflections in one plane only. Thus, we have studied the performance of a square-channel MPO in an FF-XRF imaging system. The setup consists of a commercially available MPO provided by Photonis and a Timepix3 readout chip with a silicon detector. Imaging of fluorescence from small metal particles has been used to obtain the point spreadfunction(PSF) characteristics. The transmissionthroughMPO channelsand variation of the critical reflection angle are characterized by measurements of fluorescence from copper and titanium metal fragments. Since the critical angle of reflection is energy dependent, the cross-arm artefacts will affect the resolution differently for different fluorescence energies. It is possible to identify metal fragments due to the form of the PSF function. The PSF function can be further characterized using a Fourier transform to suppress diffuse background signals in the image.
The Multi-Grid detector technology has evolved from the proof-of-principle and characterisation stages. Here we report on the performance of the Multi-Grid detector, the MG.CNCS prototype, which has been installed and tested at the Cold Neutron Chopper Spectrometer, CNCS at SNS. This has allowed a side-by-side comparison to the performance of 3He detectors on an operational instrument. The demonstrator has an active area of 0.2 m2. It is specifically tailored to the specifications of CNCS. The detector was installed in June 2016 and has operated since then, collecting neutron scattering data in parallel to the He-3 detectors of CNCS. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of this data, in particular on instrument energy resolution, rate capability, background and relative efficiency. Stability, gamma-ray and fast neutron sensitivity have also been investigated. The effect of scattering in the detector components has been measured and provides input to comparison for Monte Carlo simulations. All data is presented in comparison to that measured by the 3He detectors simultaneously, showing that all features recorded by one detector are also recorded by the other. The energy resolution matches closely. We find that the Multi-Grid is able to match the data collected by 3He, and see an indication of a considerable advantage in the count rate capability. Based on these results, we are confident that the Multi-Grid detector will be capable of producing high quality scientific data on chopper spectrometers utilising the unprecedented neutron flux of the ESS.
Measurements of carbon dioxide levels in the environment are commonly performedby using non-dispersive infrared technology (NDIR). Thermopile detectors are often used in NDIRsystems because of their non-cooling advantages. The infrared absorber has a major influence onthe detector responsivity. In this paper, the fabrication of a SU-8 epoxy membrane based Al/Bithermopile detector and the integration of an interferometric infrared absorber structure of wavelength around 4 µ m into the detector is reported. The membrane of thermopile detector has beenutilized as a dielectric medium in an interferometric absorption structure. By doing so, a reduction in both thermal conductance and capacitance is achieved. In the fabrication of the thermopile,metal evaporation and lift off process had been used for the deposition of serially interconnectedAl/Bi thermocouples. Serial resistance of fabricated thermopile was measured as 220 kΩ. Theresponse of fabricated thermopile detector was measured using a visible to infrared source of radiation flux 3.23 mW mm−2. The radiation incident on the detector was limited using a band passfilter of wavelength 4.26 µ m in front of the detector. A responsivity of 27.86 V mm2W−1at roomtemperature was achieved using this setup. The fabricated detector was compared to a referencedetector with a broad band absorber. From the comparison it was concluded that the integratedinterferometric absorber is functioning correctly.
The Medipix3 chips have been designed to permit spectroscopic imaging in highly segmented hybrid pixel detectors. Spectral degradation due to charge sharing in the sensor has been addressed by means of an architecture in which adjacent pixels communicate in the analog and digital domains on an event-by-event basis to reconstruct the deposited charge in a neighbourhood prior to the assignation of the hit to a single pixel. The Medipix3RX chip architecture is presented. The first results for the characterization of the chip with 300 μm thick Si sensors are given. ~ 72e− r.m.s. noise and ~ 40e− r.m.s. of threshold dispersion after chip equalization have been measured in Single Pixel Mode of operation. The homogeneity of the image in Charge Summing mode is comparable to the Single Pixel Mode image. This demonstrates both modes are suitable for X-ray imaging applications.
Experiments at high pulse rate Free Electron Laser (FEL) facilities require new cameras capable of acquiring 2D images at high rates, handling large signal dynamic ranges and resolving images from individual pulses. The Adaptive Gain Integrated Pixel Detector (AGIPD) will operated with pulse rates and separations of 27000/s and 220 ns, respectively at European XFEL. Si-sensors, ASICs, PCBs, and FPGA logic are developed for a 1 Mega-pixel camera with 200 μm square pixels with per-pulse occupancies 104. Data from 3520 images/s will be transferred with 80 Gbits/s to a DAQ-system. The electronics have been adapted for use in other synchrotron light source detectors.
The Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector (AGIPD) is a novel detector system, currently under development by a collaboration of DESY, the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, the University of Hamburg and the University of Bonn, and is primarily designed for use at the European XFEL. To verify key features of this detector, an AGIPD 0.4 test chip assembly was tested at the P10 beamline of the PETRA III synchrotron at DESY. The test chip successfully imaged both the direct synchrotron beam and single 7.05 keV photons at the same time, demonstrating the large dynamic range required for XFEL experiments. X-ray scattering measurements from a test sample agree with standard measurements and show the chip's capability of observing dynamics at the microsecond time scale.
In recent years, X-ray detectors used and developed at synchrotron sources and Free Electron Lasers (FELs) have become increasing powerful and versatile. However, as the capabilities of modern X-ray cameras grew so did their complexity and therefore their response functions are far from trivial. Since understanding the detecting system and its behavior is vital for any physical experiment, the need for dedicated powerful simulation tools arose. The HPAD Output Response fUnction Simulator (HORUS) was originally developed to analyze the performance implications of certain design choices for the Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector (AGIPD) and over the years grew to a more universal detector simulation toolkit covering the relevant physics in the energy range from below 1 keV to a few hundred keV. HORUS has already been used to study possible improvements of the AGIPD for X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS) at the European XFEL and its performance at low beam energies. It is currently being used to study the optimum detector layout for Coherent Diffration Imaging (CDI) at the European XFEL. Simulations of the charge summing mode of the Medipix3 chip have been essential for the improvements of the charge summing mode in the Medipix3 RX chip. HORUS is universal enough to support arbitrary hybrid pixel detector systems (within limitations). To date, the following detector systems are predefined within HORUS: The AGIPD, the Large Pixel Detector (LPD), the Cornell-Stanford Pixel Array Detector (CSPAD), the Mixed-Mode (MMPAD) and KEKPAD, and the Medipix2, Medipix3 and Medipix3 RX chips. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl.
Thermal neutron detector based on films of 10B4C have been developed as an alternative to 3He detectors. In particular, The Multi-Grid detector concept is considered for future large area detectors for ESS and ILL instruments. An excellent signal-to-background ratio is essential to attain expected scientific results. Aluminium is the most natural material for the mechanical structure of of the Multi-Grid detector and other similar concepts due to its mechanical and neutronic properties. Due to natural concentration of α emitters, however, the background from α particles misidentified as neutrons can be unacceptably high. We present our experience operating a detector prototype affected by this issue. Monte Carlo simulations have been used to confirm the background as α particles. The issues have been addressed in the more recent implementations of the Multi-Grid detector by the use of purified aluminium as well as Ni-plating of standard aluminium. The result is the reduction in background by two orders of magnitude. A new large-area prototype has been built incorporating these modifications.
The Medipix3 Collaboration has broken new ground in spectroscopic X-ray imaging and in single particle detection and tracking. This paper will review briefly the performance and limitations of the present generation of pixel detector readout chips developed by the Collaboration. Through Silicon Via technology has the potential to provide a significant improvement in the tile-ability and more flexibility in the choice of readout architecture. This has been explored in the context of 3 projects with CEA-LETI using Medipix3 and Timepix3 wafers. The next generation of chips will aim to provide improved spectroscopic imaging performance at rates compatible with human CT. It will also aim to provide full spectroscopic images with unprecedented energy and spatial resolution. Some of the opportunities and challenges posed by moving to a more dense CMOS process will be discussed.
European Spallation Source (ESS) will deliver neutrons at high flux for use in diverse neutron scattering techniques. The neutron source facility and the scientific instruments will be located in Lund, and the Data Management and Software Centre (DMSC), in Copenhagen. A number of detector prototypes are being developed at ESS together with its European in-kind partners, for example: SoNDe, Multi-Grid, Multi-Blade and Gd-GEM. These are all position sensitive detectors but use different techniques for the detection of neutrons. Except for digitization of electronics readout, all neutron data is anticipated to be processed in software. This provides maximum flexibility and adaptability and allows deep inspection of the raw data for commissioning which will reduce the risk of starting up new detector technologies. But it also requires development of high performance software processing pipelines and optimized and scalable processing algorithms. This report provides a description of the ESS system architecture for the neutron data path. Special focus is on the interface between the detectors and DMSC which is based on UDP over Ethernet links. The report also describes the software architecture for detector data processing and the tools we have developed, which have proven very useful for efficient early experimentation, and can be run on a single laptop. Processing requirements for the SoNDe, Multi-Grid, Multi-Blade and Ge-GEM detectors are presented and compared to event processing rates archived so far.
PERCIVAL ("Pixelated Energy Resolving CMOS Imager, Versatile And Large") is a monolithic active pixel sensor (MAPS) based on CMOS technology. Is being developed by DESY, RAL/STFC, Elettra, DLS, and PAL to address the various requirements of detectors at synchrotron radiation sources and Free Electron Lasers (FELs) in the soft X-ray regime. These requirements include high frame rates and FELs base-rate compatibility, large dynamic range, single-photon counting capability with low probability of false positives, high quantum efficiency (QE), and (multi-)megapixel arrangements with good spatial resolution. Small-scale back-side-illuminated (BSI) prototype systems are undergoing detailed testing with X-rays and optical photons, in preparation of submission of a larger sensor. A first BSI processed prototype was tested in 2014 and a preliminary result—first detection of 350eV photons with some pixel types of PERCIVAL—reported at this meeting a year ago. Subsequent more detailed analysis revealed a very low QE and pointed to contamination as a possible cause. In the past year, BSI-processed chips on two more wafers were tested and their response to soft X-ray evaluated. We report here the improved charge collection efficiency (CCE) of different PERCIVAL pixel types for 400eV soft X-rays together with Airy patterns, response to a flat field, and noise performance for such a newly BSI-processed prototype sensor.
The PERCIVAL soft X-ray imager is being developed by DESY, RAL, Elettra, DLS, and PAL to address the challenges at high brilliance Light Sources such as new-generation Synchrotrons and Free Electron Lasers. Typical requirements for detector systems at these sources are high frame rates, large dynamic range, single-photon counting capability with low probability of false positives, high quantum efficiency, and (multi)-mega-pixel arrangements. PERCIVAL is a monolithic active pixel sensor, based on CMOS technology. It is designed for the soft X-ray regime and, therefore, it is post-processed in order to achieve high quantum efficiency in its primary energy range (250 eV to 1 keV) . This work will report on the latest experimental results on charge collection efficiency obtained for multiple back-side-illuminated test sensors during two campaigns, at the P04 beam-line at PETRA III, and the CiPo beam-line at Elettra, spanning most of the primary energy range as well as testing the performance for photon-energies below 250 eV . In addition, XPS surface analysis was used to cross-check the obtained results.
This paper describes a front-end for hybrid pixel readout chips, which was developed for the Timepix3 and Smallpix ASICs. The front-end contains a single-ended preamplifier with a structure for leakage current compensation which can handle both signal polarities, and a single-threshold discriminator with compensation for pixel-to-pixel mismatch. Preamplifier and discriminator are required to be fast, to allow a Time-Of-Arrival (TOA) measurement with a resolution of 1.56 ns. Time-Over-Threshold (TOT) is also measured; the monotonicity of TOT with respect to the input charge is greatly improved as compared to the previous Timepix chip. The analog area is only 55 μm × 13.5 μm. Timepix3 has already been fabricated and the first test results are also presented in this paper.
One of the key requirements for neutron scattering instruments is the Signal-toBackground ratio (SBR). This is as well a design driving requirement for many instruments at the European Spallation Source (ESS), which aspires to be the brightest neutron source of the world. The SBR can be effectively improved with background reduction. The Multi-Grid, a large-area thermal neutron detector with a solid boron carbide converter, is a novel solution for chopper spectrometers. This detector will be installed for the three prospective chopper spectrometers at the ESS. As the Multi-Grid detector is a large area detector with a complex structure, its intrinsic background and its suppression via advanced shielding design should be investigated in its complexity, as it cannot be naively calculated. The intrinsic scattered neutron background and its effect on the SBR is determined via a detailed Monte Carlo simulation for the Multi-Grid detector module, designed for the CSPEC instrument at the ESS. The impact of the detector vessel and the neutron entrance window on scattering is determined, revealing the importance of an optimised internal detector shielding. The background-reducing capacity of common shielding geometries, like side-shielding and end-shielding is determined by using perfect absorber as shielding material, and common shielding materials, like B4C and Cd are also tested. On the basis of the comparison of the effectiveness of the different shielding topologies and materials, recommendations are given for a combined shielding of the Multi-Grid detector module, optimised for increased SBR.
Timepix3 is a high-speed hybrid pixel detector consisting of a 256 x 256 pixel matrix with a maximum data rate of up to 5.12 Gbps (80 MHit/s). The ASIC is equipped with eight data channels that are data driven and zero suppressed making it suitable for particle tracking and spectral imaging.
In this paper, we present a USB 3.0-based programmable readout system with online preprocessing capabilities. USB 3.0 is present on all modern computers and can, under real-world conditions, achieve around 320MB/s, which allows up to 40 MHit/s of raw pixel data. With on-line processing, the proposed readout system is capable of achieving higher transfer rate (approaching Timepix4) since only relevant information rather than raw data will be transmitted. The system is based on an Opal Kelly development board with a Spartan 6 FPGA providing a USB 3.0 interface between FPGA and PC via an FX3 chip. It connects to a CERN T imepix 3 chipboard with standard VHDCI connector via a custom designed mezzanine card. The firmware is structured into blocks such as detector interface, USB interface and system control and an interface for data pre-processing. On the PC side, a Qt/C++ multi-platformsoftware library is implemented to control the readout system, providing access to detector functions and handling high-speed USB 3.0 streaming of data from the detector.
We demonstrate equalisation, calibration and data acquisition using a Cadmium Telluride sensor and optimise imaging data using simultaneous ToT (Time-over-Threshold) and ToA (Timeof- Arrival) information. The presented readout system is capable of other on-line processing such as analysis and classification of nuclear particles with current or larger FPGAs.
Surface states and interface recombination velocity that exist between detector interfaces have always been known to affect the performance of a detector. This article describes how the detector performance varies when the doping profile is altered. When irradiated with electrons, the results show that while changes in the doping profile have an effect of the detector responsivity with respect to the interface recombination velocity
Vs, there is no visible effect with respect tofixed oxide charge
Qfotherwise known as interface fixed charge density.
Electron detection at low energy range for scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron capture detector and electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) applications, require detectors with high sensitivity and accuracy for low energy range. Such detectors must therefore have a thin entrance window and low recombination at the Si-SiO2 interface. An electron detector with 100 photons to electron-hole pair production rate having a 10 nm SiO2 passivating layer reveals a responsivity of approximately 0.25 A/W when irradiated. Simulations results showing the responsivity of electron interaction between detectors of varied interface fixed oxide charge density Qf show that there is an appreciable difference with the responsivity of a p +n detector and that of an n+p. The simulation results also show the significance of the effect of the minority carriers transport velocity Sn,p on the responsivity of the detector. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd and SISSA.
Radon gas, Rn-222, is a problem in many buildings. The radon gas is not harmful in itself, but the decay chain contains charged elements such as Po-218, and Po-214 ions which have a tendency to stick to the lungs when inhaled. Alpha particles from the decay of these ions cause damages to the lungs and increase the risk of lung cancer. The recent reduction in the limits for radon levels in buildings call for new simple and efficient measurement tools [1]. The system has been optimized through modifications of the detector size, changes to the filters and the design of the chamber. These changes increase the electric field in the chamber and the detection efficiency.
Spectral X-ray imaging with single photon processing detectors gains substantial interest for many applications. In this paper we discuss fundamental parameters as contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and spectral response as a function of the material in the object. Image properties have been simulated for different photon energies using MCNP5, assuming an ideal detector with 32 x 32 pixels. Simulations are supported by experimental results obtained with detectors from the MEDIPIX family. The CNR is strongly dependent on the number of incident photons and the number of photons absorbed in the object. The requirement for substantial absorption in the object limits the range of useful photon energies. In most cases the CNR is improved when high energy photons are removed from the spectrum. Materials can be uniquely identified or layers of different materials can be separated provided that there is a substantial difference in their spectral X-ray absorption. In most cases an absorption edge in the spectrum is needed to obtain good results. Several examples of material identification and material separation are discussed.
For clinical X-ray imaging, the detector performance under high flux conditions is very important, with typical flux rates for modern CT systems reaching 109 photons s-1 mm-2 in the direct beam. In addition, for spectral imaging a good energy resolution under these conditions is needed. This poses difficulties, since pulse pileup in the pixel electronics does not only affect the count rate, leading to a deviation from the otherwise linear behavior, but also degrades the spectral response of the detector, making k-edge subtraction and other contrast enhancement techniques less efficient. In this paper, we investigate the count rate capabilities and the energy response of the Medipix3RX chip under high flux conditions using 10 keV monochromatic photons. © CERN 2014.
Timepix3 is a hybrid pixel detector readout chip. It features a data driven readout mode where the chip sends out a data packet containing pixel coordinate, time over threshold and time of arrival immediately after the hit is processed by the pixel. The maximum hit rate is 40 Mhits/cm(2)/s with a minimum time step in the arrival time measurement of 1.56 ns. The pixel matrix consist of 256 x 256 square pixels at a 55 m m pitch and the pixel front end noise is 61 e(-) RMS. In this paper we present the first radiation measurements with Timepix3 bump bonded to a 300 m m thick silicon sensor. The chip is calibrated per pixel, using internal test pulses and the calibration is verified using X-ray fluorescence. The energy resolution, threshold dispersion and gain dispersion is measured. The energy resolution in time over threshold mode under normal operation conditions is 4.07 keV FWHM at 59.5 keV. At 10.5 keV an energy resolution of 0.72 keV FWHM was achieved in photon counting mode and in time over threshold mode, by optimizing the energy response, we achieved a 1.38 keV FWHM. We also investigate the time walk and present first results on using the time information for track reconstruction.
High stopping power is one of the most important figures of merit for X-ray detectors. CdTe is a promising material but suffers from: material defects, non-ideal charge transport and long range X-ray fluorescence. Those factors reduce the image quality and deteriorate spectral information. In this project we used a monochromatic pencil beam collimated through a 20Όm pinhole to measure the detector spectral response in dependance on the depth of interaction. The sensor was a 1mm thick CdTe detector with a pixel pitch of 110Όm, bump bonded to a Timepix readout chip operating in Time-Over-Threshold mode. The measurements were carried out at the Extreme Conditions beamline I15 of the Diamond Light Source. The beam was entering the sensor at an angle of ∌20 degrees to the surface and then passed through ∌25 pixels before leaving through the bottom of the sensor. The photon energy was tuned to 77keV giving a variation in the beam intensity of about three orders of magnitude along the beam path. Spectra in Time-over-Threshold (ToT) mode were recorded showing each individual interaction. The bias voltage was varied between -30V and -300V to investigate how the electric field affected the spectral information. For this setup it is worth noticing the large impact of fluorescence. At -300V the photo peak and escape peak are of similar height. For high bias voltages the spectra remains clear throughout the whole depth but for lower voltages as -50V, only the bottom part of the sensor carries spectral information. This is an effect of the low hole mobility and the longer range the electrons have to travel in a low field. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl.
The image forming process in a CdTe detector is both a function of the X-ray interaction in the material, including scattering and fluorescence, and the charge transport in the material [2-4]. The response to individual photons has been investigated using a CdTe detector with a pixel size of 110 m m, bonded to a TIMEPIX [5] readout chip operating in time over threshold mode. The device has been illuminated with mono-energetic photons generated by fluorescence in different metals and by gamma emission from Am-241 and Cs-137. Each interaction will result in charge distributed in a cluster of pixels where the total charge in the cluster should sum up to the initial photon energy. By looking at the individual clusters the response from shared photons as well as fluorescence photons can be identified and separated. By using energies below and above the K-edges of Cd and Te the contribution from fluorescence can be further isolated. The response is analyzed to investigate the effects of both charge diffusion and fluorescence on the spectral response in the detector.
The European Spallation Source (ESS) is the world's next generation spallation-based neutron source. The research conducted at ESS will yield in the discovery and development of new materials including the fields of manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, engines, plastics, energy, telecommunications, transportation, information technology and biotechnology. The spallation source will deliver an unprecedented neutron flux. In particular, the reflectometers selected for construction, ESTIA and FREIA, have to fulfill challenging requirements. Local incident peak rate can reach 10(5) Hz/mm(2). For new science to be addressed, the spatial resolution is aimed to be less than 1 mm with a desired scattering of 10(-4) (peak-to-tail ratio). The latter requirement is approximately two orders of magnitude better than the current state-of-the-art detectors. The main aim of this work is to quantify the cumulative contribution of various detector components to the scattering of neutrons and to prove that the respective effect is within the requirements set for the Multi-Blade detector by the ESS reflectometers. To this end, different sets of geometry and beam parameters are investigated, with primary focus on the cathode coating and the detector window thickness.
We present an analysis of a high energy mixed field taken with a Timepix chip at the CERF facility at CERN. The Timepix is an active array of 65K energy measuring pixels which allows visualization and energy measurement of the tracks created by individual particles. This allows characteristics of interest such as the LET and angular distributions of the incoming tracks to be calculated, as well as broad morphological track categories based on pattern recognition techniques. We compute and compare LET-like and angular information for different morphological track categories. Morphological track categories are found to possess overlapping LET and energy spectra, however the approaches are found to be complementary with morphological clustering yielding information which is indistinguishable on the basis of LET alone. The use of the Timepix as an indirect monitoring device outside of the primary beam at CERF is briefly discussed.
The charge integrating readout electronics AGIPD (adaptive gain integrating pixel detector) is a hybrid detector system developed for the European XFEL. It features a threefold dynamic gain switching to be able to resolve single photons and to cover a dynamic range of 104·12.4 keV photons. As a result of dynamic gain switching, single photon resolution will be achieved in the high gain stage, while the maximum dynamic range will be reached in the low gain stage. The specification to resolve single photons requires a signal-over-noise ratio of at least 10 for a single incoming photon with an energy of 12.4 keV. When using a silicon sensor, that translates to an equivalent noise charge of less than 343 e-. Several AGIPD prototype chips have been designed and characterized, particularly focusing on the noise performance. During the testing phase, the dominant noise sources were identified and the corresponding circuit blocks were improved in the subsequent ASICs. This paper reports on the procedures to identify the dominating noise sources, the optimization process of the circuit blocks and discusses the effect of the optimization on the noise performance.© 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl.
AGIPD is a charge integrating, hybrid pixel readout ASIC, which is under development for the European XFEL [1,2]. A dynamic gain switching logic at the output of the preamplifier (preamp) is used to provide single photon resolution as well as covering a dynamic range of at least 104·12.4 keV photons [3,4]. Moreover, at each point of the dynamic range the electronics noise should be lower than the Poisson fluctuations, which is especially challenging at the points of gain switching. This paper reports on the progress of the chip design on the way to the first full-scale chip AGIPD1.0, focusing on the optimization of the dynamic range and the implementation of protection circuits at the preamplifier input to avoid pixel destruction due to high intense spots. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl.
Building the European Spallation Source (ESS), the most powerful neutron source in the world, requires significant technological advances at most fronts of instrument component design. Detectors are not an exception. The existing implementations at current neutron scattering facilities are at their performance limits and sometimes barely cover the scientific needs. At full operation the ESS will yield unprecedented neutron brilliance. This means that one of the most challenging aspects for the new detector designs is the increased rate capability and in particular the peak instantaneous rate capability, i.e. the number of neutrons hitting the detector per channel, pixel or cm(2) at the peak of the neutron pulse. This paper focuses on estimating the incident and detection rates that are anticipated for the Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) instruments planned for ESS. Various approaches are applied and the results thereof are presented.
The PERCIVAL (Pixelated Energy Resolving CMOS Imager, Versatile And Large) soft X-ray 2D imaging detector is based on stitched, wafer-scale sensors possessing a thick epi-layer, which together with back-thinning and back-side illumination yields elevated quantum efficiency in the photon energy range of 125–1000 eV. Main application fields of PERCIVAL are foreseen in photon science with FELs and synchrotron radiation. This requires high dynamic range up to 105 ph @ 250 eV paired with single photon sensitivity with high confidence at moderate frame rates in the range of 10–120 Hz. These figures imply the availability of dynamic gain switching on a pixel-by-pixel basis and a highly parallel, low noise analog and digital readout, which has been realized in the PERCIVAL sensor layout. Different aspects of the detector performance have been assessed using prototype sensors with different pixel and ADC types. This work will report on the recent test results performed on the newest chip prototypes with the improved pixel and ADC architecture. For the target frame rates in the 10–120 Hz range an average noise floor of 14e− has been determined, indicating the ability of detecting single photons with energies above 250 eV. Owing to the successfully implemented adaptive 3-stage multiple-gain switching, the integrated charge level exceeds 4 centerdot 106 e− or 57000 X-ray photons at 250 eV per frame at 120 Hz. For all gains the noise level remains below the Poisson limit also in high-flux conditions. Additionally, a short overview over the updates on an oncoming 2 Mpixel (P2M) detector system (expected at the end of 2016) will be reported.
Neutron detection is a valuable tool in nuclear science research, homeland security, quality assurance in nuclear plants and medical applications. Recent developments and near future instrumentations in neutron imaging have a need for sensors with high spatial resolution, dynamic range, sensitivity and background discrimination. Silicon based neutron detectors can potentially fulfil these requirements. In this work, pad and pixel detectors with pyramidal micro-structures have been successfully fabricated that should have an improved detection efficiency when compared to conventional planar devices. Titanium di-boride (TiB2) and lithium fluoride (LiF) were deposited as the neutron converters. Excellent electrical performances were measured on both simple pad and pixel detectors. A selection of pad detectors was examined by alpha spectroscopy. Measurement with thermal neutrons from a 241Am-Be source shows an improvement in relative efficiency of up to 38% when compared to conventional planar devices.
Lateral position sensitive devices (PSD) are important for triangulation, alignment and surface measurements as well as for angle measurements. Large PSDs show a delay on rising and falling edges when irradiated with near infra-red light [1]. This delay is also dependent on the spot position relative to the electrodes. It is however desirable in most applications to have a fast response. We investigated the responsiveness of a Sitek PSD in a mixed mode simulation of a two dimensional full sized detector. For simulation and measurement purposes focused light pulses with awavelength of 850 nm, duration of 1 µs and spot size of 280 µm were used. The cause for the slopes of rise and fall time is due to time constants of the device capacitance as well as the photo- generation mechanism itself [1]. To support the simulated results, we conducted measurements of rise and fall times on a physical device. Additionally, we quantified the homogeneity of the device by repositioning a spot of light from a pulsed ir-laser diode on the surface area.
Energy calibration of CdTe detectors is usually done using known reference sources disregarding the exact amount of charge that is collected in the pixels. However, to compare detector and detector model the quantity of charge collected is needed. We characterize the charge collection in a CdTe detector comparing test pulses, measured data and an improved TCAD simulation model [1]. The 1 mm thick detector is bump-bonded to a TIMEPIX chip and operating in Time-over-Threshold (ToT) mode. The resistivity in the simulation was adjusted to match the detector properties setting a deep intrinsic donor level [2]. This way it is possible to adjust properties like trap concentration, electron/hole lifetime and mobility in the simulation characterizing the detector close to measured data cite [3].
Neutron radiation cannot be directly detected in semiconductor detectors and therefore needs converter layers. Planar clean-room processing can be used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor detectors with metal layers to produce a cost-effective device. We used the Geant4 Monte-Carlo toolkit to simulate the performance of a semiconductor neutron detector. A silicon photo-diode was coated with vapour deposited titanium, aluminium thin films and a titaniumdiboride (TiB 2) neutron absorber layer. The neutron capture reaction 10B(n, alpha)7Li is taken advantage of to create charged particles that can be counted. Boron-10 has a natural abundance of about SI 19.8%. The emitted alpha particles are absorbed in the underlying silicon detector. We varied the thickness of the converter layer and ran the simulation with a thermal neutron source in order to find the best efficiency of the TiB 2 converter layer and optimize the clean room process. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd and SISSA.
In this work the results on imaging and spectroscopic performances of 14 × 14 × 1 mm CdTe detectors with 55 × 55Όm and 110 × 110Όm pixel pitch bump-bonded to a Timepix chip are presented. The performance of the 110 × 110Όm pixel detector was evaluated at the extreme conditions beam line I15 of the Diamond Light Source. The energy of X-rays was set between 25 and 77 keV. The beam was collimated through the edge slits to 20Όm FWHM incident in the middle of the pixel. The detector was operated in the time-over-threshold mode, allowing direct energy measurement. Energy in the neighbouring pixels was summed for spectra reconstruction. Energy resolution at 77 keV was found to be ΔE/E = 3.9%. Comparative imaging and energy resolution studies were carried out between two pixel size detectors with a fluorescence target X-ray tube and radioactive sources. The 110 × 110Όm pixel detector exhibited systematically better energy resolution in comparison to 55 × 55Όm. An imaging performance of 55 × 55Όm pixellated CdTe detector was assessed using the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) technique and compared to the larger pixel. A considerable degradation in MTF was observed for bias voltages below -300 V. Significant room for improvement of the detector performance was identified both for imaging and spectroscopy and is discussed. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd and SISSA.
The results of an experimental feasibility study of a position sensitive thermal neutron detector based on a resistive plate chamber (RPC) are presented. The detector prototype features a thin-gap (0.35 mm) hybrid RPC with an aluminium cathode and a float glass anode. The cathode is lined with a 2 mu m thick (B4C)-B-10 neutron converter enriched in B-10. A detection efficiency of 6.2% is measured at the neutron beam (lambda = 2.5 angstrom) for normal incidence. A spatial resolution better than 0.5 mm FWHM is demonstrated.
The CoRDIA project aims to develop an X-ray imager capable of continuous operation in excess of 100 kframe/s. The goal is to provide a suitable instrument for Photon Science experiments at diffraction-limited Synchrotron Rings and Free Electron Lasers considering Continuous Wave operation. Several chip prototypes were designed in a 65 nm process: in this paper we will present an overview of the challenges and solutions adopted in the ASIC design.
In this work we present an ink-jet printed temperature sensor consisting of PEDOT:PSSprinted on paper suitable for packaging, flexible electronics and other printed applications. Thesubstrate showed to have a large influence on both the resistance aswell as the temperature sensitivityof the PEDOT:PSS ink. This effect is most likely due to NaCl content in the photo paper coating,which reacts with the PEDOT:PSS. The temperature coefficient of a prepared device of α= -0.030 relative to room temperature (22°C) was measured, which is higher than compared to for exampleSilicon α = -0.075.
In the last few years many detector technologies for thermal neutron detection have been developed in order to face the shortage of He-3, which is now much less available and more expensive. Moreover the He-3-based detectors can not fulfil the requirements in performance, e.g. the spatial resolution and the counting rate capability needed for the new instruments. The Boron-10-based gaseous detectors have been proposed as a suitable choice. This and other alternative technologies are being developed at ESS. Higher intensities mean higher signals but higher background as well. The signal-to-background ratio is an important feature to study, in particular the gamma-ray and the fast neutron contributions. This paper investigates, for the first time, the fast neutrons sensitivity of B-10-based thermal neutron detector. It presents the study of the detector response as a function of energy threshold and the underlying physical mechanisms. The latter are explained with the help of theoretical considerations and simulations.
AGIPD (adaptive gain integrating pixel detector) is a detector system developed for the European XFEL (XFEL.EU), which is currently being constructed in Hamburg, Germany. The XFEL.EU will operate with bunch trains at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Each train consists of 2700 bunches with a temporal separation of 220 ns corresponding to a rate of 4.5 MHz. Each photon pulse has a duration of < 100 fs (rms) and contains up to 1012 photons in an energy range between 0.25 and 25 keV . In order to cope with the large dynamic range, the first stage of each bump-bonded AGIPD ASIC is a charge sensitive preamplifier with three different gain settings that are dynamically switched during the charge integration. Dynamic gain switching allows single photon resolution in the high gain stage and can cover a dynamic range of 104 × 12.4 keV photons in the low gain stage. The burst structure of the bunch trains forces to have an intermediate in-pixel storage of the signals. The full scale chip has 352 in-pixel storage cells inside the pixel area of 200 × 200 μm2. This contribution will report on the measurements done with the new calibration circuitry of the AGIPD1.1 chip (without sensor). These results will be compared with the old version of the chip (AGIPD1.0). A new calibration method (that is not AGIPD specific) will also be shown.
In the pulp and paper industry, about 5 Mt/y chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP) are produced globally from softwood chips for production of carton board grades. For tailor making CTMP for this purpose, wood chips are impregnated with aqueous sodium sulphite for sulphonation of the wood lignin. When lignin is sulphonated, the defibration of wood into pulp becomes more selective, resulting in enhanced pulp properties. On a microscopic fibre scale, however, one could strongly assume that the sulphonation of the wood structure is very uneven due to its macroscale size of wood chips. If this is the case and the sulphonation could be done significantly more evenly, the CTMP process could be more efficient and produce pulp even better suited for carton boards. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a technique based on X-ray fluorescence microscopy imaging (µXRF) for quantifying the sulphur distribution on CTMP wood fibres. Firstly, the feasibility of µXRF imaging for sulphur homogeneity measurements in wood fibres needs investigation. Therefore, clarification of which spatial and spectral resolution that allows visualization of sulphur impregnation into single wood fibres is needed. Measurements of single fibre imaging were carried out at the Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source (APS) synchrotron facility. With a synchrotron beam using one micrometre scanning step, images of elemental mapping are acquired from CTMP samples diluted with non-sulphonated pulp under specified conditions. Since the measurements show significant differences between sulphonated and non-sulphonated fibres, and a significant peak concentration in the shell of the sulphonated fibres, the proposed technique is found to be feasible. The required spatial resolution of the µXRF imaging for an on-site CTMP sulphur homogeneity measurement setup is about 15 µm, and the homogeneity measured along the fibre shells is suggested to be used as the CTMP sulphonation measurement parameter.
Paperboard is typically made up of a core of cellulose fibers [C6H10O5] and a coating layer of [CaCO3]. The uniformity of these layers is a critical parameter for the printing quality. Current quality control methods include chemistry based visual inspection methods as well as X-ray based methods to measure the coating thickness. In this work we combine the X-ray fluorescence signals from the Ca atoms (3.7 keV) in the coating and from a Cu target (8.0 keV) placed behind the paper to simultaneously measure both the coating and the fibers. Cu was selected as the target material since its fluorescence signal is well separated from the Ca signal while its fluorescence's still are absorbed sufficiently in the paper. A laboratory scale setup is built using stepper motors, a silicon drift detector based spectrometer and a collimated X-ray beam. The spectroscopic image is retrieved by scanning the paperboard surface and registering the fluorescence signals from Ca and Cu. The exposure time for this type of setups can be significantly improved by implementing spectroscopic imaging sensors. The material contents in the layers can then be retrieved from the absolute and relative intensities of these two signals.
Simulations in Medici are performed to quantify crosstalk and charge sharing in a hybrid pixelated silicon detector. Crosstalk and charge sharing degrades the spatial and spectral resolution of single photon processing X-ray imaging systems. For typical medical X-ray imaging applications, the process is dominated by charge sharing between the pixels in the sensor. For heavier particles each impact generates a large amount of charge and the simulation seems to over predict the charge collection efficiency. This indicates that some type of non modelled degradation of the charge transport efficiency exists, like the plasma effect where the plasma might shield the generated charges from the electric field and hence distorts the charge transport process. Based on the simulations it can be reasoned that saturation of the amplifiers in the Timepix system might generate crosstalk that increases the charge spread measured from ion impact on the sensor.
Synchrotrons can provide very intense and focused X-ray beams, which can be used to study the structure of matter down to the atomic scale. In many experiments, the quality of the results depends strongly on detector performance; in particular, experiments studying dynamics of samples require fast, sensitive X-ray detectors. "LAMBDA" is a photon-counting hybrid pixel detector system for experiments at synchrotrons, based on the Medipix3 readout chip. Its main features are a combination of comparatively small pixel size (55 μm), high readout speed at up to 2000 frames per second with no time gap between images, a large tileable module design, and compatibility with high-Z sensors for efficient detection of higher X-ray energies. A large LAMBDA system for hard X-ray detection has been built using Cr-compensated GaAs as a sensor material. The system is composed of 6 GaAs tiles, each of 768 by 512 pixels, giving a system with approximately 2 megapixels and an area of 8.5 by 8.5 cm2. While the sensor uniformity of GaAs is not as high as that of silicon, its behaviour is stable over time, and it is possible to correct nonuniformities effectively by postprocessing of images. By using multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet data links, the system can be read out at the full speed of 2000 frames per second. The system has been used in hard X-ray diffraction experiments studying the structure of samples under extreme pressure in diamond anvil cells. These experiments can provide insight into geological processes. Thanks to the combination of high speed readout, large area and high sensitivity to hard X-rays, it is possible to obtain previously unattainable information in these experiments about atomic-scale structure on a millisecond timescale during rapid changes of pressure or temperature.
Multiple energy bin spectral micro-CT (SμCT) is an advanced imaging technique that allows multi-material decomposition according to their specific absorption patterns at a sub-100 μm scale. Typically, iodine is the preferred CT contrast agent for cardiovascular imaging, while gold nanoparticles have gained attention in recent years owing to their high absorption properties, biocompatibility and ability to target tumors. In this work, we demonstrate the potential for multi-material decomposition through SμCT imaging of a test sample at the PEPI lab of INFN Trieste. The sample, consisting of gold, iodine, calcium, and water, was imaged using a Pixirad1/PixieIII chromatic detector with multiple energy thresholds and a wide spectrum (100 kV) produced by a micro-focus X-ray tube. The results demonstrate the simultaneous detection and separation of the four materials at a spatial scale of 35 μm, suggesting the potential of this technique in improving material detectability and quantification in a range of pre-clinical applications, including cardiovascular and oncologic imaging.
European Spallation Source instruments like the macromolecular diffractometer (NMX) require an excellent neutron detection efficiency, high-rate capabilities, time resolution, and an unprecedented spatial resolution in the order of a few hundred micrometers over a wide angular range of the incoming neutrons. For these instruments solid converters in combination with Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) are a promising option. A GEM detector with gadolinium converter was tested on a cold neutron beam at the IFE research reactor in Norway. The mu TPC analysis, proven to improve the spatial resolution in the case of B-10 converters, is extended to gadolinium based detectors. For the first time, a Gd-GEM was successfully operated to detect neutrons with a measured efficiency of 11.8% at a wavelength of 2 angstrom and a position resolution better than 250 mu m.