Speaker
Description
We are glad to present one of the latest developments of the R&D at DECTRIS: the novel ASIC ERMINE, a photon counting chip that is specifically designed for laboratory X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) applications.
ERMINE is a 192 x 256 pixels array with an active area of 14.4 mm x 19.2 mm and a pixel pitch of 75 µm. The ASIC’s two-side buttable design allows for larger sensitive areas with wider angular coverage. The readout electronics allows for both positive and negative signal polarity, making it compatible with standard silicon sensors (hole collection) and most high-z sensors (electron collection).
The signal readout is a typical design in terms of photon counting detectors. It includes an analog signal chain with a charge sensitive amplifier and a shaper, followed by a comparator stage with two 12-bit counters that can be operated independently, allowing for dead-time-free operation. ERMINE is optimized for excellent energy resolution while still providing high count rates at low power consumption. It achieves better than 600eV (FWHM) energy resolution at 8keV while providing >1Mcts/px/s and consuming <1.2W of power.
The chip can be fully operated using simple serial protocols. All needed analog bias current and voltages are generated on chip. Available readout modes include single threshold and windowing between two thresholds, both at a framerate of at least 400 frames per second in continuous readout.
In this contribution, we will describe the design of the ASIC and present the first extensive experimental characterization carried out in our X-ray laboratory, covering spectral performance, temperature stability and count rate capability for different sensor materials.
| Workshop topics | Front-end electronics and readout |
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