Single Photon Counting Detector System with Improved Counter Structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a single photon counting detector system (14), comprising: a) a layer of photosensitive material (4); b) an array of NxM photodetector diodes (2) arranged in said layer of photosensitive material (4); Each of the photodetector diodes (2) has a bias interface (12) and a diode output interface, the bias interface (12) of each photodetector diode (2) is connected to a bias voltage (Vbias); c ) NxM high-gain, low-noise readout unit (RO) array, with one readout unit (RO) per photodetector diode (2); d) each readout unit (RO) comprising: d1) connected to all input interface (IN) of the diode output interface, a high-gain voltage amplifier (amp) including an integrated capacitor (Cint), d2) at least two parallel digital counter lines, d3) each line includes an independently selectable threshold ( threshold1, threshold2) comparators and selectable sections (gate1, gate2) that determine the counting interval of the digital counter; e) multiplexing means that allow parallel access to the reading unit on a per pixel basis or for several pixels to read The digital counter is taken to the data processing means, the data is passed from the chip to the data processing means, in particular the external read electronics which do not form an integral part of the read unit.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a single photon counting detector system with an improved counter structure. Background technique [0002] This topic describes readout chips and parts of detector systems in materials science, crystallography, non-destructive testing, and medical applications in synchrotron or x-ray applications using laboratory equipment (laboratory diffractometers). The energy of the photons to be detected is roughly in the range of about 0.1 to 150 keV. [0003] The detector is a hybrid detector comprising an x-ray sensitive layer (silicon sensor) and a readout chip. In the case of a 2-dimensional detector (pixel detector), each pixel in the sensor is directly connected (bump bonded or flip chip bonded) to a corresponding pixel in the readout chip. The size of the pixels is thus limited by the size of the pixels in the readout chip, and due to finding the right balance (pay-off) between the pixel size in the readout chip and the c...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Since statistics are usually very limited for both pumped and probed measurements, the pump repetition rate needs to be maximized, which prevents reads for every interval (both pumped and non-pumped)

Also for rapidly changing systems it is not always possible to read the detector for every detection interval

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