Image sensors and detectors are one of the key technologies enabling future applications like smart homes or autonomous driving, all part of the Internet of Things. Whether through Moore’s scaling or ‘more than Moore’, semiconductor technology remains an essential driver for the advancement of imagers and detectors. This talk will review the status and trends of some areas of semiconductor...
Fast X-ray imaging using 30 keV and above X-ray photons is highly desirable for studies of dynamic material evolution and discovery of new materials. The state-of-the-art single-line-of-sight X-ray camera technology, which is mostly based on silicon sensors and silicon Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), cannot meet the requirements because the atomic number of silicon is only 14...
3D diamond detectors for particle tracking and dosimetry
Advances in the laser assisted transformation of diamond into amorphous-carbon has enabled the production of a new type of particle detector - 3D diamond. Compared to conventional planar technologies, previous work has proven a 3D geometry to improve the radiation tolerance of detectors fabricated in silicon. First tests of...
Large area support structures, containing sensors and fast, high density electronics requires effective cooling to be reliable. This is true for commercial gadgets, like computers, and even more so for XL scientific apparatuses like detector systems in accelerators, electron microscopy , synchrotron light sources , Xfels and more where outcomes could lead to fundamental discoveries and...
WHY:
The precise knowledge of the correct dose distribution delivered to the patient during cancer treatment is essential for a correct radiation treatment planning. This is particularly true in PEDIATRIC TREATMENTS where dose deposition in healthy cells could be catastrophic for the life expectancy of the patient. This information needs to be FAST,RELIABLE, REDUNDANT and LOW COST. At the...
Several efforts have been recently devoted to develop high-resolution timing
detectors for tracking at the High Luminosity LHC experiments while track triggers,
implemented with dedicated hardware, have been used at hadron colliders to select
heavy-flavour decays. In this R&D project we propose to combine the two methods
to develop an innovative detector, based on accurate time and position...
Despite the effort in developing suitable detectors for X-ray fluorescence measurements at synchrotron light sources, e.g. for XRF and XAFS experiments, in many applications the capability of fluorescence spectroscopy detectors is rather limited. The high-rate performances of current detectors may be further challenged due to the ongoing machine upgrades or for the use in future sources where...
Radio-guided surgery (RGS) is a technique adopted by the surgeon to perform a complete lesion resection, taking advantage from the uptake from the tumor of specific radiolabelled tracers. Established methods make use of γ emitting tracer and γ radiation detection probe, but the high attenuation lenght of this radiation prevents the use of RGS when there are newarby uptaking organs.
To extend...
For the European Spallation Source (ESS), now under construction, a new generation of neutron detectors will be
required with groundbreaking properties in terms of 2D spatial resolution, time resolution, efficiency, rate capability, gamma discrimination and radiation hardness.
We propose to deposit a 10B containing semiconducting layer directly onto a pixel chip with charge-sensitive pixel...
The micro-Resistive-WELL (μ-RWELL) is a compact, spark-protected, single amplification stage Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGD).
The new micro-structure based on the resistive technology concept of a very efficient spark quenching is a high reliable device. In addition, since the detector does not require any complex as well as time-consuming assembly procedures (neither stretching nor...
The Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) has characteristics suitable for precise reconstruction of neutrino interaction including inividual tracks as well as for calorimetric measurements. In order to gain sensitivity to reactions with very small cross-sections, modern LArTPC devices are built at a considerable scale. Future experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino...
This work will be performed in collaboration with UCLA (USA) and HU (Israel).
Rational:
Modern research in Life Sciences is integrating diverse data from complex models to understand, at the molecular level, the mechanisms underlying the development, function and dysfunction of living organisms. For this, imaging technologies are playing a crucial role. Here, the aim is to record the living state (functional and dynamic) at the highest resolution possible...
Beta autoradiography forms a standard procedure for studying metabolic processes in
biological systems. Beta ray emitting tracers, namely like H-3, C-14, P-32 and S-35 are
attached with chemical methods to biological molecules. Hereafter, the molecules undergo,
in vivo or in vitro, metabolic processes. The nature of those processes may be analyzed
by i) identifying product molecules by...
Since the early 1990's, CMOS Pixels Sensors (CPS) have become the most successful member of the family of Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS), consisting in an array of pixel sensors and on-the-chip circuitry (e.g. preamplifier and digitization) on the same silicon substrate. They are now widely used in a large panel of applications, from visible light detection in cell phone camera or...
We propose a novel high performance radiation detector & imaging sensor by a ground-breaking core-shell diode array design1. This novel detector avoids the performance limitations of the conventional planar silicon drift detectors (SDDs) in respect to radiation hardness, spatial resolution, power consumption and slow signal response, and will perform far beyond state-of-the-art.
This kind...
Background
Conventional recording and analysis of electrical brain activity is done with a neuro-biological rather than physical perspective. The way signals are treated, closely reflect the prevalent neuro-biological theories, which see the functional organization of the brain as an electro-chemical digital circuit. Typically, the recorded data are high-pass filtered and thresholded to...
Project idea:
the project will bring together high performance pattern recognition technologies
and 3D chip integration. This allows to increase the number of pattern stored in
the memory and a reduction of power dissipation.
The main goals of this project will be:
- Designing and producing of innovative cost effective and low energy associative
memory chip to provide an...
In the fields of particle physics and radiation detection, gas-based time projection chambers (TPCs) are used as a versatile tool for particle detection and 3D track reconstruction. Their operation principle requires a reference time obtained from a primary signal, which allows the absolute placement of an ionisation track in space.
Owing to their excellent spatial resolution and intuitive...
easyPET is a new concept of PET scanner using an innovative acquisition method based on two rotation axes for the movement of detector modules. The concept allows high position resolution and spatial uniformity over the whole field of view (FOV) due to its capacity to eliminate (when operating in 2D acquisition mode) the parallax error due to depth of interaction (DOI), characteristic of ring...
This work will be performed in collaboration with DESY (Germany) and HU (Israel)
The novel proton radiography imaging technique has a big potential for the direct determination of proton stopping powers (PSPs) in various tissues in the patient. The uncertainty of PSPs needs to be minimized from 3-5% or higher, currently used in clinics, to less than 1%, crucial to make an optimum proton radiotherapy treatment plan.
To achieve that PSPs accuracy, both crucial elements...
X-ray microtomography (i.e. tomography at the micrometer scale) is made possible nowadays by the availability of imaging detectors with adequate spatial resolution and suitable high brillance X-ray sources. Achieving the same spatial resolution in cold/thermal neutron tomography is more challenging but constant developments in the field suggest that micrometer-scale neutron imaging will soon...
Neutron spectroscopy is a key diagnostics of high power fusion plasmas [1]. In particular, it can determine the plasma ion temperature, the so called thermal to non-thermal fusion power ration and the fuel ion ratio (nD/nT) of the concentration of deuterium and tritium isotopes in a DT burning plasma. The latter is a crucial parameter to be measured in order to control the produced fusion...
Today, the newly developed micro-structure technology opens the possibility to realize a new generation of gaseous detectors. Research focused in particular on the radiation induced processes leading to discharge breakdown, and led to the development of a family of more resistant devices with similar performance named Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs). The main features of the MPGDs are:...
There is wide agreement on the transformative potential of phase-based approaches to X-ray imaging (X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging - XPCI). The use of phase was proven to enable the visualization of features classically considered “x-ray invisible”, and to enhance the visibility of all details in an x-ray image. This has huge implications in a variety of fields, from the earlier detection of...
We propose to develop silicon sensors with excellent time (~10 ps) and position (~25 um) resolutions. This can be achieved by taking advantage of the fast response properties of MEMS based 3-Dimensional (3D) sensors with trench-electrodes processed throughout the silicon bulk rather than on the wafer’s surface and a modified read-out electronics based on fast current amplifiers.
3D sensors...
Detectors have played a central role in the structure determination of biological macromolecules to near-atomic resolution using electron cryo-microscopy. Over the past two or three years progress has been so rapid that it has been called a ‘revolution’ by a leading structural biologist [1]. Further progress in detector technology is essential for obtaining near-perfect detectors with a faster...
The main idea of this proposal is to exploit, in the same hardware, the computing power offered by computing units of different nature, as GPU, FPGA, Associative memoriesm DSP arrays and ASIC. In standard computing the algorithms are designed for a single type of processor trying to adapt the logic of the processing to the architecture of the hardware, in heterogeneous computing the processing...
The next generation of CMOS MAPS detectors for particle physics applications are
driven by the need for optimal resolution, which requires high pixel
granularity and minimal material. At the same time, the need for high-speed
readout imply sophisticated in-pixel and on-sensor data processing, which is
very difficult to achieve with current technologies. Hybrid solutions are...
In this work we present a challenging idea for the realization of an infrared sensor with high photon quantum efficiency (of the order of 90%), based on an array of micro antenna.
The state of art and the technical problem for realization will be discussed. We will present possible applications suitable for large surface particle detection.
The groundbreaking idea we are proposing is the development of innovative devices to multiply and collect electron charge generated by ionising particles passing through liquid Argon (LAr) medium.
The primary motivation is to make single-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber detectors (LAr-TPCs) sensitive to events with energy deposition of the order of 10 keV or less, 100 times...
Thermal management represents a major challenge in both high energy physics (HEP) and space missions. Whether it is to dissipate the heat generated by readout chips and other electronic components or to extend the service life of silicon sensors susceptible to radiation damage, cooling has become one of the main design concerns in both fields. Furthermore, the harsh environmental conditions...
The recent availability of affordable solid-state radiation sensors, of reliable and cheap micro-controllers and memories, together with new developments in the fields of wireless communication, low power microelectronics and efficient batteries, make possible building a practical, fully automated and remotely controlled network of radiation sensors. The development of a network of smart...
In the last few years, the most common approach for wireless data transmission has been that based on the radiofrequency (RF) waves. For example, one of the most mature technology allowing the connection of electronic systems (e.g. laptops or smartphones) to a wireless LAN (WLAN) network is the WiFi one, which can operate in three center frequencies (2.4, 5 and 60 GHz). In the wireless data...
So imagine this: An infrared LED pours light into a plastic fiber whose soft tip I press onto my skin, in a precise spot. As I increase the power, light couples into one of my veins. The long wavelength prevents excessive scattering and absorption, so light is actually guided into my body, slowly scattering into the surrounding living tissue. Some of the scattered infrared light leaves the...
It is a plausible approach to tackle some of the near future technical challenges by mimicking living nature, which solved many problems during evolution. The fact that helicopters or airplanes are flying is due to the technical translation of biological solutions. Regarding imaging sensors and visual systems, nature came up with far beyond state of the art solutions, which are worth to be...
In today’s world early detection of cancer has proven to be the most crucial step for effective treatment. This is only possible by making the non-invasive imaging techniques more affordable and accessible for individuals. AvanTomography modules would achieve this goal by designing a module for positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. This module can enable the assembly of lower-cost PET...
The Charged Particle Therapy (CPT)
is a relatively recent and widely diffused technology
for which several additional treatment centers have recently been planned
or approved for (and are under) construction, that uses accelerated particles
and ions to perform tumor control. However, the neutron component of the secondary radiation is
still affected by large experimental uncertainties...
Protons and carbon ion beams are presently used in hadrontherapy to treat many different solid cancers. Compared to the standard X-rays treatments the main advantage of hadrontherapy technique is the better localization of the dose in the tumor region sparing healthy tissues and surrounding Organs At Risk (OAR).
The intrinsic precision due to the peculiar features of dose release at the end...
The idea behind this abstract was triggered by the article entitled „Giving Machines Humanlike Eyes” [http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MSPEC.2015.7335800] in the December 2015 number of the IEEE Spectrum magazine. Of course, the idea of designing machine parts inspired by models existing in the nature is not new. However, the neuromorphic image sensors offer a completely new paradigm for...
The human brain displays amazing computing capacities. Unfortunately, it also often goes wrong with dramatic consequences. Diseases of the central nervous system cost each European € 5500 every year and represent one third of the financial burden of European public health systems [1]. For historical and technological reasons, neuroscience has focused mostly on neurons and derives its name as a...
Many types of Ultra Violet (UV) and Infrared Radiation (IR)
detectors are used up to now, based on a variety of materials depending on
the wavelength being detected. UV spectrum is of particular interest not only
in particle physics where scintillators emit in this region but also in other fields
like agriculture where the maturity of a fruit can be detected in UV(“so called
bee eye”)....
Experiments in subatomic physics rely on multi-measurements to identify
precisely the final quantum state under study. This results in rather large
detection systems involving various technologies dedicated to specific tasks, like
tracking and calorimetry to name a few. The evolution of science demands for
increasing event rates and thus drives detectors towards higher granularity...
GEM-based detectors had a noticeable development in last years and have successfully
been employed in different fields from High Energy Physics to imaging applications.
Light production associated to the electron multiplication allows to perform an optical
readout of these devices. The big progress achieved in CMOS-based photosensors makes
possible to develop a high sensitivity, high...
Current detector technology used in large equipment at CERN and other collider facilities concentrates either on low energy absorption with high spatial and energy resolution (Si-strip or Ge-detectors) or on strong energy absorption with limited spatial resolution (PWO, BGO, CsI:Tl). Equipment with properties in between, i.e. medium to high energy absorption combined with relatively high...
The use of large accelerator-driven X-ray sources, such as those available at the synchrotron light and X-ray free-electron lasers (FEL) facilities, continues to grow and expand to many scientific disciplines worldwide. These research centers are now driving the state of the art of X-ray science, therefore shaping the requirements for many types of X-ray detectors. X-ray FELs in particular can...
This work will be performed in collaboration with HU (Israel) and UCLA.
This work will be performed in collaboration with DESY (Germany) and UCLA (USA)
Time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) has been a main driver for the steady improvement, in recent years, of the timing performance of scintillation-based gamma-ray detectors. PET image quality will benefit from improvements in coincidence resolving time (CRT) down to a value of about 20 ps. At this point, tomographic image reconstruction as is presently needed will actually...
Study and development of an innovative beam monitor based on MPGDs for the characterization of proton therapy beams.
Intelligent designer materials with exactly tailored properties and function are centerpiece to future technological developments with impact across many areas of society including medicine and biochemistry, energy and information processing, just to name a few. Unfortunately, such materials are rarely found serendipitously but rather need to be manufactured and tailored using the principles...
A device based on critical decision-making must evaluate data in a time scale short enough for the decision to be useful in the application context. Exemplary cases are the autonomous vehicles and robots, or medical robotic prosthetics, with the inherent needs to fast and meaningfully react to the environment. The very same need is also present in frontier science experiments, where sensors...
Runtime verification focuses on techniques to check the dynamic (runtime) behaviour of a system typically with the aim of ensuring that the system is working correctly. Inlining property checks via assertions or similar techniques has been standard practice since the dawn of programmable machines. Such inlined approaches result in the interweaving of the executable system specification (the...
Radiotherapy is used for the treatment of cancer in almost 50% of the patients, both for curative or palliative aims. The introduction of advanced techniques such as hadrontherapy, based on the use of protons and heavier charged particles, i.e. carbon ions, is currently a growing modality of radiation therapy. These particles deposit a larger amount of energy per unit particle track length...
We discuss an improved detection scheme for a light-shining-through-wall (LSW) experiment for axion-like particle searches [Capparelli, Cavoto, Ferretti, Giazotto, Polosa and Spagnolo, arXiv: 1510.06892]. We propose to use: extremely intense photon fluxes (from 100 kW to 1MW) from gyrotron sources at frequencies around 30 GHz; single photon detectors in this frequency domain, with efficiency...
The large potential of the novel proton radiography/CT imaging technique can be used to determine proton stopping powers (PSPs) directly with a high precision down to 1%. To achieve that both the fast and compact detection system and the reconstruction algorithm need to be in synergy. This is crucial to determine an optimum proton treatment plan. The optimized software that reconstructs a...
This dream aspires to take neutron detectors from 2D position sensitive devices to 4D sensors with energy and timing information. These extra dimensions of information are presently seen as impossible and unusable respectively. Novel instrumentation is nearly always the forerunner of new diagnostic methods. This vision is about enabling new transformational instrumentation that subsequently...
The far-infrared region (wavelengths in the range 10 $\mu$m – 1 mm) is one of the richest areas of spectroscopic research, encompassing the rotational spectra of molecules and vibrational spectra of solids, liquids and gases. Both basic research studies and applications in this spectral region are hampered by the absence of sensitive detectors. Moreover, for certain applications an ultimately...
The radar system will be built in several stages as funding is provided. For the first stage, it will consist of three radar sites, each with 9919 crossed dipoles divided into 109 sub-arrays. On one of the sites, about half of the antenna will be equipped with transmitter units, giving about 5MW of total transmitter power. All of the sites will receive the scattered signal from the transmitted...
Thin films can be seen as quasi-2D layers with a thickness within the nanometer to micrometer range. The trend to use them is steadily growing and they have a great impact as functional materials across a vast range of applications. This presentation touches on a vision of how thin films can revolutionize detector capability over the coming decade and beyond and shows how this vision is rooted...
The tracking performance of the current generation of charged-particle tracker systems is often limited by the use of the present bulky sensing
technologies and wired links for transmitting the detector's data. We will present here a road-map towards a light-weight, high-resolution post-LHC
tracking system based on the emerging Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD detectors) a promising...
One of the major challenges our society faces today is providing personalized high-quality healthcare to all citizens in a sustainable way. Several improvements in current Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners are needed to transform in-vivo molecular imaging into a standard tool for personalized medicine: reduce the radiation dose, scan time and costs per patient. A way to achieve it...
The Helium-3 crisis, which started in 2009, has by now become the Helium-3 reality, has spawned an intensive R&D effort for replacement technologies for neutron detectors. Neutron Scattering, which made up ca. 40% of Helium-3 demand prior to the crisis was particularly hard hit. These development efforts, along with several new facilities present under construction, including the European...
We propose an ultra-fast silicon detector (UFSD) with time resolution a factor 10 better than what is possible today, which will establish a new paradigm for space-time particle tracking. Presently, precise tracking devices determine time quite poorly while good timing devices are too large for accurate position measurement. This fact is imposing severe limitations on the potential of many...
A device based on critical decision-making must evaluate data in a time scale short enough for the decision to be useful in the application context. Exemplary cases are the autonomous vehicles and robots, or medical robotic prosthetics, with the inherent needs to fast and meaningfully react to the environment. The very same need is also present in frontier science experiments, where sensors...
