Low power readout electronics for a UV MCP detector with cross strip anode

Pfeifer, M.; Diebold, S.; Barnstedt, Jürgen; Hermanutz, S.; Kalkuhl, C.; Kappelmann, N.; Schanz, T.; Werner, K.

doi:10.1088/1748-0221/9/03/c03059

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The optimum configuration is still under investigation in a lab set-up (see left part of fig. 3), which allows a highly flexible simulation of the internal behavior of our detector and the readout (for more details see Pfeifer et al 4 ).…”

Section: Working Principlementioning

confidence: 99%

An introduction to the IAAT ultraviolet MCP detector development

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Observations of ultraviolet light is the key to understand high temperature processes in the universe like hot plasma, accretion processes or illuminated protoplanetary discs around UV sources. Furthermore these observation contribute to major cosmological questions, like the distribution of baryonic matter or the formation of the milky way, as pointed out by Gomez de Castro et al. 1 Driven by the idea to participate in the Russian World Space Observatory we started to develop a position sensitive micro channel plate detector (MCP) for spectroscopy in the range of 160 nm to 300 nm. Although we are not part of this project we still build a MCP detector prototype. In this paper we will present the general design of the detector and mainly focus on the aspect of our photocathode, while the electronics will be explained in more detail in the paper "Characterisation of low power readout electronics for a UV microchannel plate detector with cross-strip readout" (Paper number 9144-116) by Marc Pfeifer.Keywords: micro channel plate detector, caesium telluride photocathodes THE MCP DETECTORS DESIGNThe Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics Tübingen has a long tradition in developing ultraviolet sensitive detectors and based on the heritage of the 1990's flight of ORFEUS we develop a position sensitive, solarblind, photon counting micro channel plate detector. Even if there is an ongoing progress in the development of CCD detectors for all wavelengths, they are victims of their high performance in the optical band, which generates a high noise compared to the desired UV band. By using solar-blind photocathodes our MCP detector avoids this problem and doesn't need extensive shielding or additional filters for a low signal-to-noise-ratio which, in combination with their fast readout, makes such a detector still leading in ultraviolet spectroscopy. Working principleDepending on the field of use, there are two concepts for MCP detectors, either a sealed detector with a semitransparent photocathode coated on an entrance window or an open-faced detector with an opaque photocathode directly on the micro channel plates. As the MCPs work with high voltage in the range of several thousand volts, they need to be operated under vacuum conditions with a pressure below 1 × 10 −5 mbar to avoid damage by accelerated particles. Therefore open-faced detectors only work in space, while sealed detectors can be operated everywhere, also in non-astronomical fields. Furthermore the photocathodes degrade under oxygen exposure, 2 so they need to be stored under vacuum conditions (or inert gas), which complicates the use of open-faced detectors, as they need a sealed envelope until the detector is in space. As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2 any incoming photon that hits the photocathode, releases an electron which is accelerated towards the micro channel plates, where it creates an avalanche of additional electrons. Depending on the MCP configuration and applied voltage a gain factor of 1 × 10 5 to 1 × 10 7 is achieved. This electron cloud hits a cha...

show abstract

Section: Working Principlementioning

confidence: 99%

An introduction to the IAAT ultraviolet MCP detector development

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, each channel of the XS anode detector needs a special preamplifier and shaping amplifier, which increases the overall mass and cost. Another scheme is to develop a special multichannel application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), combining the preamplifier and shaping amplifier [14][15][16][17]. This method can greatly reduce the detector mass and power consumption, but the cost of developing ASIC is high.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Photon Imaging Detector Model with High Resolution and High Counting Rate

Jiang

2023

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A cross strip (XS) anode detector is a photon-counting imaging detector with high spatial resolution. However, due to the Poisson distribution characteristics of the photons emitted by the target, photons with a small time interval will cause signal superposition and resolution degradation. This is particularly significant at a high photon count rate. The key link that restricts the counting rate of the XS detector is the electronic system. In this paper, we propose a new electronic signal processing system scheme using a digital trapezoidal shaping filter instead of a traditional Gaussian shaping filter, which enables the detector to maintain a high resolution at high count rates. In order to verify the feasibility of the scheme, the relationship between shaping errors and shaping parameters is studied. Furthermore, the relationship between spatial resolution and photon-counting rate at different noise levels is revealed by numerical simulation. The results show that the detector can achieve a spatial resolution of <50 μm at a photon count rate of >6 MHz for 1000 e RMS noise.

show abstract

“…The main difficulty is the need to provide a readout circuit for each of the strips, which requires high power consumption and spatial size. Although application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) have been applied to lower the power and volume requirements in recent years [ 16 ], the cost of ASICs qualified for flight is significant. ASICs usually take a long time to develop.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photon Counting Imaging with Low Noise and a Wide Dynamic Range for Aurora Observations

Han

Song

Zhang

et al. 2020

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The radiation intensity of observed auroras in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) band varies dramatically with location for aerospace applications, requiring a photon counting imaging apparatus with a wide dynamic range. However, combining high spatial resolution imaging with high event rates is technically challenging. We developed an FUV photon counting imaging system for aurora observation. Our system mainly consists of a microchannel plate (MCP) stack readout using a wedge strip anode (WSA) with charge induction and high-speed electronics, such as a charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) and pulse shaper. Moreover, we constructed an anode readout model and a time response model for readout circuits to investigate the counting error in high counting rate applications. This system supports global rates of 500 kilo counts, 0.610 dark counts s−1 cm−2 at an ambient temperature of 300 K and 111 µm spatial resolution at 400 kilo counts s−1 (kcps). We demonstrate an obvious photon count loss at incident intensities close to the counting capacity of the system. To preserve image quality, the response time should be improved and some noise performance may be sacrificed. Finally, we also describe the correlation between counting rate and imaging resolution, which further guides the design of space observation instruments.

show abstract

Low power readout electronics for a UV MCP detector with cross strip anode

Cited by 7 publications

References 7 publications

An introduction to the IAAT ultraviolet MCP detector development

An introduction to the IAAT ultraviolet MCP detector development

A Photon Imaging Detector Model with High Resolution and High Counting Rate

Photon Counting Imaging with Low Noise and a Wide Dynamic Range for Aurora Observations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About