Status of the photomultiplier-based FlashCam camera for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pühlhofer, G.; Bauer, C.; Eisenkolb, F.; Florin, D.; Föhr, C.; Gadola, A.; Garrecht, F.; Hermann, G.; Jung, I.; Kalekin, O.; Kalkuhl, C.; Kasperek, J.; Kihm, T.; Koziol, J.; Lahmann, R.; Manalaysay, A.; Marszalek, A.; Rajda, P. J.; Reimer, O.; Romaszkan, W.; Rupinski, M.; Schanz, T.; Schwab, T.; Steiner, S.; Straumann, U.; Tenzer, C.; Vollhardt, A.; Weitzel, Q.; Winiarski, K.; Zietara, K.

2014-07-01

The FlashCam project is preparing a camera prototype around a fully digital FADC-based readout system, for the medium sized telescopes (MST) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The FlashCam design is the first fully digital readout system for Cherenkov cameras, based on commercial FADCs and FPGAs as key components for digitization and triggering, and a high performance camera server as back end. It provides the option to easily implement different types of trigger algorithms as well as digitization and readout scenarios using identical hardware, by simply changing the firmware on the FPGAs. The readout of the front end modules into the camera server is Ethernet-based using standard Ethernet switches and a custom, raw Ethernet protocol. In the current implementation of the system, data transfer and back end processing rates of 3.8 GB/s and 2.4 GB/s have been achieved, respectively. Together with the dead-time-free front end event buffering on the FPGAs, this permits the cameras to operate at trigger rates of up to several ten kHz. In the horizontal architecture of FlashCam, the photon detector plane (PDP), consisting of photon detectors, preamplifiers, high voltage-, control-, and monitoring systems, is a self-contained unit, mechanically detached from the front end modules. It interfaces to the digital readout system via analogue signal transmission. The horizontal integration of FlashCam is expected not only to be more cost efficient, it also allows PDPs with different types of photon detectors to be adapted to the FlashCam readout system. By now, a 144-pixel mini-camera" setup, fully equipped with photomultipliers, PDP electronics, and digitization/ trigger electronics, has been realized and extensively tested. Preparations for a full-scale, 1764 pixel camera mechanics and a cooling system are ongoing. The paper describes the status of the project.

International Congress on High-Speed Photography and Photonics, 19th, Cambridge, England, Sept. 16-21, 1990, Proceedings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garfield, B.R.; Rendell, J.T.

1991-01-01

The present conference discusses the application of schlieren photography in industry, laser fiber-optic high speed photography, holographic visualization of hypervelocity explosions, sub-100-picosec X-ray grating cameras, flash soft X-radiography, a novel approach to synchroballistic photography, a programmable image converter framing camera, high speed readout CCDs, an ultrafast optomechanical camera, a femtosec streak tube, a modular streak camera for laser ranging, and human-movement analysis with real-time imaging. Also discussed are high-speed photography of high-resolution moire patterns, a 2D electron-bombarded CCD readout for picosec electrooptical data, laser-generated plasma X-ray diagnostics, 3D shape restoration with virtual grating phase detection, Cu vapor lasers for highmore » speed photography, a two-frequency picosec laser with electrooptical feedback, the conversion of schlieren systems to high speed interferometers, laser-induced cavitation bubbles, stereo holographic cinematography, a gatable photonic detector, and laser generation of Stoneley waves at liquid-solid boundaries.« less

Digital radiography using amorphous selenium: photoconductively activated switch (PAS) readout system.

PubMed

Reznik, Nikita; Komljenovic, Philip T; Germann, Stephen; Rowlands, John A

2008-03-01

A new amorphous selenium (a-Se) digital radiography detector is introduced. The proposed detector generates a charge image in the a-Se layer in a conventional manner, which is stored on electrode pixels at the surface of the a-Se layer. A novel method, called photoconductively activated switch (PAS), is used to read out the latent x-ray charge image. The PAS readout method uses lateral photoconduction at the a-Se surface which is a revolutionary modification of the bulk photoinduced discharge (PID) methods. The PAS method addresses and eliminates the fundamental weaknesses of the PID methods--long readout times and high readout noise--while maintaining the structural simplicity and high resolution for which PID optical readout systems are noted. The photoconduction properties of the a-Se surface were investigated and the geometrical design for the electrode pixels for a PAS radiography system was determined. This design was implemented in a single pixel PAS evaluation system. The results show that the PAS x-ray induced output charge signal was reproducible and depended linearly on the x-ray exposure in the diagnostic exposure range. Furthermore, the readout was reasonably rapid (10 ms for pixel discharge). The proposed detector allows readout of half a pixel row at a time (odd pixels followed by even pixels), thus permitting the readout of a complete image in 30 s for a 40 cm x 40 cm detector with the potential of reducing that time by using greater readout light intensity. This demonstrates that a-Se based x-ray detectors using photoconductively activated switches could form a basis for a practical integrated digital radiography system.

X-ray imaging using amorphous selenium: photoinduced discharge (PID) readout for digital general radiography.

PubMed

Rowlands, J A; Hunter, D M

1995-12-01

Digital radiographic systems based on photoconductive layers with the latent charge image readout by photoinduced discharge (PID) are investigated theoretically. Previously, a number of different systems have been proposed using sandwiched photoconductor and insulator layers and readout using a scanning laser beam. These systems are shown to have the general property of being very closely coupled (i.e., optimization of one imaging characteristic usually impacts negatively on others). The presence of a condensed state insulator between the photoconductor surface and the readout electrode does, however, confer a great advantage over systems using air gaps with their relatively low breakdown field. The greater breakdown field of condensed state dielectrics permits the modification of the electric field during the period between image formation and image readout. The trade-off between readout speed and noise makes this system suitable for instant general radiography and even rapid sequence radiography, however, the system is unsuitable for the low exposure rates used in fluoroscopy.

Radiation dosimeter

DOEpatents

Fox, Richard J.

1983-01-01

A radiation detector readout circuit is provided which produces a radiation dose-rate readout from a detector even though the detector output may be highly energy dependent. A linear charge amplifier including an output charge pump circuit amplifies the charge signal pulses from the detector and pumps the charge into a charge storage capacitor. The discharge rate of the capacitor through a resistor is controlled to provide a time-dependent voltage which when integrated provides an output proportional to the dose-rate of radiation detected by the detector. This output may be converted to digital form for readout on a digital display.

Radiation dosimeter

DOEpatents

Fox, R.J.

1981-09-01

A radiation detector readout circuit is provided which produces a radiation dose-rate readout from a detector even through the detector output may be highly energy dependent. A linear charge amplifier including an output charge pump circuit amplifies the charge signal pulses from the detector and pumps the charge into a charge storage capacitor. The discharge rate of the capacitor through a resistor is controlled to provide a time-dependent voltage which when integrated provides an output proportional to the dose-rate of radiation detected by the detector. This output may be converted to digital form for readout on a digital display.

Nanophotonic lab-on-a-chip platforms including novel bimodal interferometers, microfluidics and grating couplers.

PubMed

Duval, Daphné; González-Guerrero, Ana Belén; Dante, Stefania; Osmond, Johann; Monge, Rosa; Fernández, Luis J; Zinoviev, Kirill E; Domínguez, Carlos; Lechuga, Laura M

2012-05-08

One of the main limitations for achieving truly lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices for point-of-care diagnosis is the incorporation of the "on-chip" detection. Indeed, most of the state-of-the-art LOC devices usually require complex read-out instrumentation, losing the main advantages of portability and simplicity. In this context, we present our last advances towards the achievement of a portable and label-free LOC platform with highly sensitive "on-chip" detection by using nanophotonic biosensors. Bimodal waveguide interferometers fabricated by standard silicon processes have been integrated with sub-micronic grating couplers for efficient light in-coupling, showing a phase resolution of 6.6 × 10(-4)× 2π rad and a limit of detection of 3.3 × 10(-7) refractive index unit (RIU) in bulk. A 3D network of SU-8 polymer microfluidics monolithically assembled at the wafer-level was included, ensuring perfect sealing and compact packaging. To overcome some of the drawbacks inherent to interferometric read-outs, a novel all-optical wavelength modulation system has been implemented, providing a linear response and a direct read-out of the phase variation. Sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the wavelength modulated BiMW sensor has been demonstrated through the label-free immunodetection of the human hormone hTSH at picomolar level using a reliable biofunctionalization process.

FITPix COMBO—Timepix detector with integrated analog signal spectrometric readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holik, M.; Kraus, V.; Georgiev, V.; Granja, C.

2016-02-01

The hybrid semiconductor pixel detector Timepix has proven a powerful tool in radiation detection and imaging. Energy loss and directional sensitivity as well as particle type resolving power are possible by high resolution particle tracking and per-pixel energy and quantum-counting capability. The spectrometric resolving power of the detector can be further enhanced by analyzing the analog signal of the detector common sensor electrode (also called back-side pulse). In this work we present a new compact readout interface, based on the FITPix readout architecture, extended with integrated analog electronics for the detector's common sensor signal. Integrating simultaneous operation of the digital per-pixel information with the common sensor (called also back-side electrode) analog pulse processing circuitry into one device enhances the detector capabilities and opens new applications. Thanks to noise suppression and built-in electromagnetic interference shielding the common hardware platform enables parallel analog signal spectroscopy on the back side pulse signal with full operation and read-out of the pixelated digital part, the noise level is 600 keV and spectrometric resolution around 100 keV for 5.5 MeV alpha particles. Self-triggering is implemented with delay of few tens of ns making use of adjustable low-energy threshold of the particle analog signal amplitude. The digital pixelated full frame can be thus triggered and recorded together with the common sensor analog signal. The waveform, which is sampled with frequency 100 MHz, can be recorded in adjustable time window including time prior to the trigger level. An integrated software tool provides control, on-line display and read-out of both analog and digital channels. Both the pixelated digital record and the analog waveform are synchronized and written out by common time stamp.

Development and evaluation of a digital dental modeling method based on grating projection and reverse engineering software.

PubMed

Zhou, Qin; Wang, Zhenzhen; Chen, Jun; Song, Jun; Chen, Lu; Lu, Yi

2016-01-01

For reasons of convenience and economy, attempts have been made to transform traditional dental gypsum casts into 3-dimensional (3D) digital casts. Different scanning devices have been developed to generate digital casts; however, each has its own limitations and disadvantages. The purpose of this study was to develop an advanced method for the 3D reproduction of dental casts by using a high-speed grating projection system and noncontact reverse engineering (RE) software and to evaluate the accuracy of the method. The methods consisted of 3 main steps: the scanning and acquisition of 3D dental cast data with a high-resolution grating projection system, the reconstruction and measurement of digital casts with RE software, and the evaluation of the accuracy of this method using 20 dental gypsum casts. The common anatomic landmarks were measured directly on the gypsum casts with a Vernier caliper and on the 3D digital casts with the Geomagic software measurement tool. Data were statistically assessed with the t test. The grating projection system had a rapid scanning speed, and smooth 3D dental casts were obtained. The mean differences between the gypsum and 3D measurements were approximately 0.05 mm, and no statistically significant differences were found between the 2 methods (P>.05), except for the measurements of the incisor tooth width and maxillary arch length. A method for the 3D reconstruction of dental casts was developed by using a grating projection system and RE software. The accuracy of the casts generated using the grating projection system was comparable with that of the gypsum casts. Copyright © 2016 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An NFC-Enabled CMOS IC for a Wireless Fully Implantable Glucose Sensor.

PubMed

DeHennis, Andrew; Getzlaff, Stefan; Grice, David; Mailand, Marko

2016-01-01

This paper presents an integrated circuit (IC) that merges integrated optical and temperature transducers, optical interface circuitry, and a near-field communication (NFC)-enabled digital, wireless readout for a fully passive implantable sensor platform to measure glucose in people with diabetes. A flip-chip mounted LED and monolithically integrated photodiodes serve as the transduction front-end to enable fluorescence readout. A wide-range programmable transimpedance amplifier adapts the sensor signals to the input of an 11-bit analog-to-digital converter digitizing the measurements. Measurement readout is enabled by means of wireless backscatter modulation to a remote NFC reader. The system is able to resolve current levels of less than 10 pA with a single fluorescent measurement energy consumption of less than 1 μJ. The wireless IC is fabricated in a 0.6-μm-CMOS process and utilizes a 13.56-MHz-based ISO15693 for passive wireless readout through a NFC interface. The IC is utilized as the core interface to a fluorescent, glucose transducer to enable a fully implantable sensor-based continuous glucose monitoring system.

Processing inferences derived from event-related potential measures in a monitoring task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horst, R. L.; Munson, R. C.; Ruchkin, D. S.

1985-01-01

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from the scalp of subjects as they monitored changing digital readouts for values that went 'out-of-bounds'. Workload was manipulated by varying the number of readouts that were monitored concurrently. The ERPs elicited by changes in the readouts showed long latency positivities that increased in amplitude, not only with the number of readouts monitored, but also with the number of monitored readouts that were 'in danger' of going out-of-bounds. No effects were found due to the number of nonmonitored readouts 'in danger'. This evidence indicates that subjects (1) selectively attended to the monitored readouts and (2) processed the monitored readouts differently as the readouts approached the out-of-bounds levels to which an overt response was required.

Read-out electronics for DC squid magnetic measurements

DOEpatents

Ganther, Jr., Kenneth R.; Snapp, Lowell D.

2002-01-01

Read-out electronics for DC SQUID sensor systems, the read-out electronics incorporating low Johnson noise radio-frequency flux-locked loop circuitry and digital signal processing algorithms in order to improve upon the prior art by a factor of at least ten, thereby alleviating problems caused by magnetic interference when operating DC SQUID sensor systems in magnetically unshielded environments.

Theoretical modeling and design of photonic structures in zeolite nanocomposites for gas sensing. Part I: surface relief gratings.

PubMed

Cody, D; Naydenova, I

2017-12-01

The suitability of holographic structures fabricated in zeolite nanoparticle-polymer composite materials for gas sensing applications has been investigated. Theoretical modeling of the sensor response (i.e., change in hologram readout due to a change in refractive index modulation or thickness as a result of gas adsorption) of different sensor designs was carried out using Raman-Nath theory and Kogelnik's coupled wave theory. The influence of a range of parameters on the sensor response of holographically recorded surface and volume photonic grating structures has been studied, namely the phase difference between the diffracted and probe beam introduced by the grating, grating geometry, thickness, spatial frequency, reconstruction wavelength, and zeolite nanoparticle refractive index. From this, the optimum fabrication conditions for both surface and volume holographic gas sensor designs have been identified. Here, in part I, results from theoretical modeling of the influence of design on the sensor response of holographically inscribed surface relief structures for gas sensing applications is reported.

An experimental distribution of analog and digital information in a hybrid wireless visible light communication system based on acousto-optic modulation and sinusoidal gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez Colín, R.; García Juárez, A.; Zaldívar Huerta, I. E.; Marquina, A. Vera; García Delgado, L. A.; Leal Cruz, A. L.; Gómez Fuentes, R.

2016-03-01

In this paper we propose a photonic architecture as an alternative tool to distribute point to multipoint analog and digital information over a hybrid wireless visible optical communication system. The experimental set-up is composed of a red laser pointer, an acousto-optic modulator, a sinusoidal grating and a photo-detector array. By using a simple and variable interferometric system, diffraction gratings with different spatial frequencies are generated and recorded on a photoemulsion which is composed of vanilla with dichromate gelatin. Analog video and digital information are first transmitted and recovered over a wireless communication system using a microwave carrier at 4.52 GHz which is generated by distributed feedback lasers operating in the low laser threshold current region. Separately, the recovered video information and digital data are combined with a radio frequency signal of 80 MHz, obtaining a subcarrier of information that is imposed on the optical carrier of the pointer laser using an acousto-optic modulator which is operated with an angle of incident light that satisfies the Bragg condition. The modulated optical carrier is sent to a sinusoidal grating, the diffraction pattern is photo-detected using an array of PIN photo-detectors. The use of sinusoidal gratings with acousto-optic modulators allows that number of channels to be increased when both components are placed in cascade.

Off-axis digital holographic camera for quantitative phase microscopy.

PubMed

Monemhaghdoust, Zahra; Montfort, Frédéric; Emery, Yves; Depeursinge, Christian; Moser, Christophe

2014-06-01

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a digital holographic camera which can be attached to the camera port of a conventional microscope for obtaining digital holograms in a self-reference configuration, under short coherence illumination and in a single shot. A thick holographic grating filters the beam containing the sample information in two dimensions through diffraction. The filtered beam creates the reference arm of the interferometer. The spatial filtering method, based on the high angular selectivity of the thick grating, reduces the alignment sensitivity to angular displacements compared with pinhole based Fourier filtering. The addition of a thin holographic grating alters the coherence plane tilt introduced by the thick grating so as to create high-visibility interference over the entire field of view. The acquired full-field off-axis holograms are processed to retrieve the amplitude and phase information of the sample. The system produces phase images of cheek cells qualitatively similar to phase images extracted with a standard commercial DHM.

Digital signal processing for the ATLAS/LUCID detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

2015-07-01

Both the detector and the associated read-out electronics have been improved in order to cope with the LHC luminosity increase foreseen for RUN 2 and RUN 3. The new operating conditions require a careful tuning of the read-out electronics in order to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio. The new read-out electronics will allow the use of digital filtering of the photo multiplier tube signals. In this talk, we will present the first results that we obtained in the optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, we will introduce the next steps to adapt this system to high performance read-out chains formore » low energy gamma rays. Such systems are based, for instance, on Silicon Drift Detector devices and can be used in applications at Free-Electron-Laser facilities such as the XFEL under construction at DESY. (authors)« less

Dual band QWIP focal plane array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gunapala, Sarath D. (Inventor); Choi, Kwong Kit (Inventor); Bandara, Sumith V. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

A quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) that provides two-color image sensing. Two different quantum wells are configured to absorb two different wavelengths. The QWIPs are arrayed in a focal plane array (FPA). The two-color QWIPs are selected for readout by selective electrical contact with the two different QWIPs or by the use of two different wavelength sensitive gratings.

A cylindrical SPECT camera with de-centralized readout scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habte, F.; Stenström, P.; Rillbert, A.; Bousselham, A.; Bohm, C.; Larsson, S. A.

2001-09-01

An optimized brain single photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT) camera is being designed at Stockholm University and Karolinska Hospital. The design goal is to achieve high sensitivity, high-count rate and high spatial resolution. The sensitivity is achieved by using a cylindrical crystal, which gives a closed geometry with large solid angles. A de-centralized readout scheme where only a local environment around the light excitation is readout supports high-count rates. The high resolution is achieved by using an optimized crystal configuration. A 12 mm crystal plus 12 mm light guide combination gave an intrinsic spatial resolution better than 3.5 mm (140 keV) in a prototype system. Simulations show that a modified configuration can improve this value. A cylindrical configuration with a rotating collimator significantly simplifies the mechanical design of the gantry. The data acquisition and control system uses early digitization and subsequent digital signal processing to extract timing and amplitude information, and monitors the position of the collimator. The readout system consists of 12 or more modules each based on programmable logic and a digital signal processor. The modules send data to a PC file server-reconstruction engine via a Firewire (IEEE-1394) network.

Chirped circular dielectric gratings for near-unity collection efficiency from quantum emitters in bulk diamond

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Jiabao; Liapis, Andreas C.; Chen, Edward H.

Effcient collection of fluorescence from nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond underlies the spin-dependent optical read-out that is necessary for quantum information processing and enhanced sensing applications. The optical collection effciency from NVs within diamond substrates is limited primarily due to the high refractive index of diamond and the non-directional dipole emission. Here we introduce a light collection strategy based on chirped, circular dielectric gratings that can be fabricated on a bulk diamond substrate to redirect an emitter’s far-field radiation pattern. Using a genetic optimization algorithm, these grating designs achieve 98.9% collection effciency for the NV zero-phonon emission line, collectedmore » from the back surface of the diamond with an objective of aperture 0.9. Across the broadband emission spectrum of the NV (600-800 nm), the chirped grating achieves 82.2% collection e ciency into a numerical aperture of 1.42, corresponding to an oil immersion objective again on the back side of the diamond. Our proposed bulk-dielectric grating structures are applicable to other optically active solid state quantum emitters in high index host materials.« less

Chirped circular dielectric gratings for near-unity collection efficiency from quantum emitters in bulk diamond

DOE PAGES

Zheng, Jiabao; Liapis, Andreas C.; Chen, Edward H.; ...

2017-12-13

Effcient collection of fluorescence from nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond underlies the spin-dependent optical read-out that is necessary for quantum information processing and enhanced sensing applications. The optical collection effciency from NVs within diamond substrates is limited primarily due to the high refractive index of diamond and the non-directional dipole emission. Here we introduce a light collection strategy based on chirped, circular dielectric gratings that can be fabricated on a bulk diamond substrate to redirect an emitter’s far-field radiation pattern. Using a genetic optimization algorithm, these grating designs achieve 98.9% collection effciency for the NV zero-phonon emission line, collectedmore » from the back surface of the diamond with an objective of aperture 0.9. Across the broadband emission spectrum of the NV (600-800 nm), the chirped grating achieves 82.2% collection e ciency into a numerical aperture of 1.42, corresponding to an oil immersion objective again on the back side of the diamond. Our proposed bulk-dielectric grating structures are applicable to other optically active solid state quantum emitters in high index host materials.« less

Reading Out Single-Molecule Digital RNA and DNA Isothermal Amplification in Nanoliter Volumes with Unmodified Camera Phones

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Digital single-molecule technologies are expanding diagnostic capabilities, enabling the ultrasensitive quantification of targets, such as viral load in HIV and hepatitis C infections, by directly counting single molecules. Replacing fluorescent readout with a robust visual readout that can be captured by any unmodified cell phone camera will facilitate the global distribution of diagnostic tests, including in limited-resource settings where the need is greatest. This paper describes a methodology for developing a visual readout system for digital single-molecule amplification of RNA and DNA by (i) selecting colorimetric amplification-indicator dyes that are compatible with the spectral sensitivity of standard mobile phones, and (ii) identifying an optimal ratiometric image-process for a selected dye to achieve a readout that is robust to lighting conditions and camera hardware and provides unambiguous quantitative results, even for colorblind users. We also include an analysis of the limitations of this methodology, and provide a microfluidic approach that can be applied to expand dynamic range and improve reaction performance, allowing ultrasensitive, quantitative measurements at volumes as low as 5 nL. We validate this methodology using SlipChip-based digital single-molecule isothermal amplification with λDNA as a model and hepatitis C viral RNA as a clinically relevant target. The innovative combination of isothermal amplification chemistry in the presence of a judiciously chosen indicator dye and ratiometric image processing with SlipChip technology allowed the sequence-specific visual readout of single nucleic acid molecules in nanoliter volumes with an unmodified cell phone camera. When paired with devices that integrate sample preparation and nucleic acid amplification, this hardware-agnostic approach will increase the affordability and the distribution of quantitative diagnostic and environmental tests. PMID:26900709

Improving the phase measurement by the apodization filter in the digital holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Shifeng; Wang, Dayong; Wang, Yunxin; Zhao, Jie; Rong, Lu

2012-11-01

Due to the finite size of the hologram aperture in digital holography, high frequency intensity and phase fluctuations along the edges of the images, which reduce the precision of phase measurement. In this paper, the apodization filters are applied to improve the phase measurement in the digital holography. Firstly, the experimental setup of the lensless Fourier transform digital holography is built, where the sample is a standard phase grating with the grating constant of 300μm and the depth of 150nm. Then, apodization filters are applied to phase measurement of the sample with three kinds of the window functions: Tukey window, Hanning window and Blackman window, respectively. Finally, the results were compared to the detection data given by the commercial white-light interferometer. It is shown that aperture diffraction effects can be reduced by the digital apodization, and the phase measurement with the apodization is more accurate than in the unapodized case. Meanwhile, the Blackman window function produces better effect than the other two window functions in the measurement of the standard phase grating.

Drift chamber readout system of the DIRAC experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afanasyev, L.; Karpukhin, V.

2002-10-01

A drift chamber readout system of the DIRAC experiment at CERN is presented. The system is intended to read out the signals from planar chambers operating in a high current mode. The sense wire signals are digitized in the 16-channel time-to-digital converter boards which are plugged in the signal plane connectors. This design results in a reduced number of modules, a small number of cables and high noise immunity. The system has been successfully operating in the experiment since 1999.

Towards a sub 15-dBA optical micromachined microphone

PubMed Central

Kim, Donghwan; Hall, Neal A.

2014-01-01

Micromachined microphones with grating-based optical-interferometric readout have been demonstrated previously. These microphones are similar in construction to bottom-inlet capacitive microelectromechanical-system (MEMS) microphones, with the exception that optoelectronic emitters and detectors are placed inside the microphone's front or back cavity. A potential advantage of optical microphones in designing for low noise level is the use of highly-perforated microphone backplates to enable low-damping and low thermal-mechanical noise levels. This work presents an experimental study of a microphone diaphragm and backplate designed for optical readout and low thermal-mechanical noise. The backplate is 1 mm × 1 mm and is fabricated in a 2-μm-thick epitaxial silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer and contains a diffraction grating with 4-μm pitch etched at the center. The presented system has a measured thermal-mechanical noise level equal to 22.6 dBA. Through measurement of the electrostatic frequency response and measured noise spectra, a device model for the microphone system is verified. The model is in-turn used to identify design paths towards MEMS microphones with sub 15-dBA noise floors. PMID:24815250

A simplified digital lock-in amplifier for the scanning grating spectrometer.

PubMed

Wang, Jingru; Wang, Zhihong; Ji, Xufei; Liu, Jie; Liu, Guangda

2017-02-01

For the common measurement and control system of a scanning grating spectrometer, the use of an analog lock-in amplifier requires complex circuitry and sophisticated debugging, whereas the use of a digital lock-in amplifier places a high demand on the calculation capability and storage space. In this paper, a simplified digital lock-in amplifier based on averaging the absolute values within a complete period is presented and applied to a scanning grating spectrometer. The simplified digital lock-in amplifier was implemented on a low-cost microcontroller without multipliers, and got rid of the reference signal and specific configuration of the sampling frequency. Two positive zero-crossing detections were used to lock the phase of the measured signal. However, measurement method errors were introduced by the following factors: frequency fluctuation, sampling interval, and integer restriction of the sampling number. The theoretical calculation and experimental results of the signal-to-noise ratio of the proposed measurement method were 2055 and 2403, respectively.

A novel proposal of GPON-oriented fiber grating sensing data digitalization system for remote sensing network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yubao; Zhu, Zhaohui; Wang, Lu; Bai, Jian

2016-05-01

A novel GPON-oriented sensing data digitalization system is proposed to achieve remote monitoring of fiber grating sensing networks utilizing existing optical communication networks in some harsh environments. In which, Quick digitalization of sensing information obtained from the reflected lightwaves by fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor is realized, and a novel frame format of sensor signal is designed to suit for public transport so as to facilitate sensor monitoring center to receive and analyze the sensor data. The delay effect, identification method of the sensor data, and various interference factors which influence the sensor data to be correctly received are analyzed. The system simulation is carried out with OptiSystem/Matlab co-simulation approach. The theoretical analysis and simulation results verify the feasibility of the integration of the sensor network and communication network.

Design and theoretical investigation of a digital x-ray detector with large area and high spatial resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gui, Jianbao; Guo, Jinchuan; Yang, Qinlao; Liu, Xin; Niu, Hanben

2007-05-01

X-ray phase contrast imaging is a promising new technology today, but the requirements of a digital detector with large area, high spatial resolution and high sensitivity bring forward a large challenge to researchers. This paper is related to the design and theoretical investigation of an x-ray direct conversion digital detector based on mercuric iodide photoconductive layer with the latent charge image readout by photoinduced discharge (PID). Mercuric iodide has been verified having a good imaging performance (high sensitivity, low dark current, low voltage operation and good lag characteristics) compared with the other competitive materials (α-Se,PbI II,CdTe,CdZnTe) and can be easily deposited on large substrates in the manner of polycrystalline. By use of line scanning laser beam and parallel multi-electrode readout make the system have high spatial resolution and fast readout speed suitable for instant general radiography and even rapid sequence radiography.

Chirped fiber Bragg grating written in highly birefringent fiber in simultaneous strain and temperature monitoring.

PubMed

Bieda, Marcin S; Sobotka, Piotr; Woliński, Tomasz R

2017-02-20

A new sensor configuration is proposed for simultaneous strain and temperature monitoring in a composite material that is based on a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) written in a highly birefringent (HB) polarization-maintaining fiber. The sensor is designed in the reflective configuration in which the CFBG acts both as a reflector and a sensing element. Since CFBG and HB fiber induce changes in the state of polarization (SOP), interference between polarization modes in the reflected spectrum is observed and analyzed. We used a simple readout setup to enable fast, linear operation of strain sensing as well simultaneous strain and temperature measurements in the composite.

The simulated spectrum of the OGRE X-ray EM-CCD camera system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, M.; Soman, M.; Holland, A.; Lumb, D.; Tutt, J.; McEntaffer, R.; Schultz, T.; Holland, K.

2017-12-01

The X-ray astronomical telescopes in use today, such as Chandra and XMM-Newton, use X-ray grating spectrometers to probe the high energy physics of the Universe. These instruments typically use reflective optics for focussing onto gratings that disperse incident X-rays across a detector, often a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD). The X-ray energy is determined from the position that it was detected on the CCD. Improved technology for the next generation of X-ray grating spectrometers has been developed and will be tested on a sounding rocket experiment known as the Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE). OGRE aims to capture the highest resolution soft X-ray spectrum of Capella, a well-known astronomical X-ray source, during an observation period lasting between 3 and 6 minutes whilst proving the performance and suitability of three key components. These three components consist of a telescope made from silicon mirrors, gold coated silicon X-ray diffraction gratings and a camera that comprises of four Electron-Multiplying (EM)-CCDs that will be arranged to observe the soft X-rays dispersed by the gratings. EM-CCDs have an architecture similar to standard CCDs, with the addition of an EM gain register where the electron signal is amplified so that the effective signal-to-noise ratio of the imager is improved. The devices also have incredibly favourable Quantum Efficiency values for detecting soft X-ray photons. On OGRE, this improved detector performance allows for easier identification of low energy X-rays and fast readouts due to the amplified signal charge making readout noise almost negligible. A simulation that applies the OGRE instrument performance to the Capella soft X-ray spectrum has been developed that allows the distribution of X-rays onto the EM-CCDs to be predicted. A proposed optical model is also discussed which would enable the missions minimum success criteria's photon count requirement to have a high chance of being met with the shortest possible observation time. These results are compared to a Chandra observation to show the overall effectiveness of the new technologies. The current optical module is shown to narrowly meet the minimum success conditions whilst the proposed model comfortably demonstrates the effectiveness of the technologies if a larger effective area is provided.

KM3NeT Digital Optical Module electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Real, Diego

2016-04-01

The KM3NeT collaboration is currently building of a neutrino telescope with a volume of several cubic kilometres at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The telescope consists of a matrix of Digital Optical Modules that will detect the Cherenkov light originated by the interaction of the neutrinos in the proximity of the detector. This contribution describes the main components of the read-out electronics of the Digital Optical Module: the Power Board, which delivers all the power supply required by the Digital Optical Molule electronics; the Central Logic Board, the main core of the read-out system, hosting 31 Time to Digital Converters with 1 ns resolution and the White Rabbit protocol embedded in the Central Logic Board Field Programmable Gate Array; the Octopus boards, that transfer the Low Voltage Digital Signals from the PMT bases to the Central Logic Board and finally the PMT bases, in charge of converting the analogue signal produced in the 31 3" PMTs into a Low Voltage Digital Signal.

Transmission Grating and Optics Technology Development for the Arcus Explorer Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heilmann, Ralf; Arcus Team

2018-01-01

Arcus is a high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy MIDEX mission selected for a Phase A concept study. It is designed to explore structure formation through measurements of hot baryon distributions, feedback from black holes, and the formation and evolution of stars, disks, and exoplanet atmospheres. The design provides unprecedented sensitivity in the 1.2-5 nm wavelength band with effective area above 450 sqcm and spectral resolution R > 2500. The Arcus technology is based on 12 m-focal length silicon pore optics (SPO) developed for the European Athena mission, and critical-angle transmission (CAT) x-ray diffraction gratings and x-ray CCDs developed at MIT. The modular design consists of four parallel channels, each channel holding an optics petal, followed by a grating petal. CAT gratings are lightweight, alignment insensitive, high-efficiency x-ray transmission gratings that blaze into high diffraction orders, leading to high spectral resolution. Each optics petal represents an azimuthal sub-aperture of a full Wolter optic. The sub-aperturing effect increases spectral resolving power further. Two CCD readout strips receive photons from each channel, including higher-energy photons in 0th order. Each optics petal holds 34 SPO modules. Each grating petal holds 34 grating windows, and each window holds 4-6 grating facets. A grating facet consists of a silicon grating membrane, bonded to a flexure frame that interfaces with the grating window. We report on a sequence of tests with increasing complexity that systematically increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for the combination of CAT gratings and SPOs towards TLR 6. CAT gratings have been evaluated in x rays for diffraction efficiency (> 30% at 2.5 nm) and for resolving power (R> 10,000). A CAT grating/SPO combination was measured at R ~ 3100 at blaze angles smaller than design values, exceeding Arcus requirements. Efficiency and resolving power were not impacted by vibration and thermal testing of gratings. A pair of large (32 mm x 32 mm) gratings was aligned using laser metrology, and alignment was verified under x rays. We present results on simultaneous illumination of the aligned grating pair, and describe our progress towards further tests.

Rapid bespoke laser ablation of variable period grating structures using a digital micromirror device for multi-colored surface images.

PubMed

Heath, Daniel J; Mills, Ben; Feinaeugle, Matthias; Eason, Robert W

2015-06-01

A digital micromirror device has been used to project variable-period grating patterns at high values of demagnification for direct laser ablation on planar surfaces. Femtosecond laser pulses of ∼1  mJ pulse energy at 800 nm wavelength from a Ti:sapphire laser were used to machine complex patterns with areas of up to ∼1  cm² on thin films of bismuth telluride by dynamically modifying the grating period as the sample was translated beneath the imaged laser pulses. Individual ∼30 by 30 μm gratings were stitched together to form contiguous structures, which had diffractive effects clearly visible to the naked eye. This technique may have applications in marking, coding, and security features.

Design, construction and commissioning of the Digital Hadron Calorimeter—DHCAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, C.; Bambaugh, A.; Bilki, B.; Butler, J.; Corriveau, F.; Cundiff, T.; Drake, G.; Francis, K.; Furst, B.; Guarino, V.; Haberichter, B.; Hazen, E.; Hoff, J.; Holm, S.; Kreps, A.; DeLurgio, P.; Matijas, Z.; Dal Monte, L.; Mucia, N.; Norbeck, E.; Northacker, D.; Onel, Y.; Pollack, B.; Repond, J.; Schlereth, J.; Skrzecz, F.; Smith, J. R.; Trojand, D.; Underwood, D.; Velasco, M.; Walendziak, J.; Wood, K.; Wu, S.; Xia, L.; Zhang, Q.; Zhao, A.

2016-07-01

A novel hadron calorimeter is being developed for future lepton colliding beam detectors. The calorimeter is optimized for the application of Particle Flow Algorithms (PFAs) to the measurement of hadronic jets and features a very finely segmented readout with 1 × 1 cm2 cells. The active media of the calorimeter are Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) with a digital, i.e. one-bit, readout. To first order the energy of incident particles in this calorimeter is reconstructed as being proportional to the number of pads with a signal over a given threshold. A large-scale prototype calorimeter with approximately 500,000 readout channels has been built and underwent extensive testing in the Fermilab and CERN test beams. This paper reports on the design, construction, and commissioning of this prototype calorimeter.

Integrated readout electronics for Belle II pixel detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco, R.; Leys, R.; Perić, I.

2018-03-01

This paper describes the readout components for Belle II that have been designed as integrated circuits. The ICs are connected to DEPFET sensor by bump bonding. Three types of ICs have been developed: SWITCHER for pixel matrix control, DCD for readout and digitizing of sensor signals and DHP for digital data processing. The ICs are radiation tolerant and use several novel features, such as the multiple-input differential amplifiers and the fast and radiation hard high-voltage drivers. SWITCHER and DCD have been developed at University of Heidelberg, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and DHP at Bonn University. The IC-development started in 2009 and was accomplished in 2016 with the submissions of final designs. The final ICs for Belle II pixel detector and the related measurement results will be presented in this contribution.

Multi-channel detector readout method and integrated circuit

DOEpatents

Moses, William W.; Beuville, Eric; Pedrali-Noy, Marzio

2006-12-12

An integrated circuit which provides multi-channel detector readout from a detector array. The circuit receives multiple signals from the elements of a detector array and compares the sampled amplitudes of these signals against a noise-floor threshold and against one another. A digital signal is generated which corresponds to the location of the highest of these signal amplitudes which exceeds the noise floor threshold. The digital signal is received by a multiplexing circuit which outputs an analog signal corresponding the highest of the input signal amplitudes. In addition a digital control section provides for programmatic control of the multiplexer circuit, amplifier gain, amplifier reset, masking selection, and test circuit functionality on each input thereof.

Multi-channel detector readout method and integrated circuit

DOEpatents

Moses, William W.; Beuville, Eric; Pedrali-Noy, Marzio

2004-05-18

An integrated circuit which provides multi-channel detector readout from a detector array. The circuit receives multiple signals from the elements of a detector array and compares the sampled amplitudes of these signals against a noise-floor threshold and against one another. A digital signal is generated which corresponds to the location of the highest of these signal amplitudes which exceeds the noise floor threshold. The digital signal is received by a multiplexing circuit which outputs an analog signal corresponding the highest of the input signal amplitudes. In addition a digital control section provides for programmatic control of the multiplexer circuit, amplifier gain, amplifier reset, masking selection, and test circuit functionality on each input thereof.

Untitled Document

Science.gov Websites

charged tracks or associated with photons or neutral hadrons. Hardware effort: A Digital Hadron fine segmentation, the energy resolution for single hadrons is preserved with a simple digital readout Physics Division Digital Hadron Calorimeter with RPCs (US effort) CALICE Collaboration American Linear

Simultaneous single-shot readout of multi-qubit circuits using a traveling-wave parametric amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Kevin

Observing and controlling the state of ever larger quantum systems is critical for advancing quantum computation. Utilizing a Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifier (JTWPA), we demonstrate simultaneous multiplexed single shot readout of 10 transmon qubits in a planar architecture. We employ digital image sideband rejection to eliminate noise at the image frequencies. We quantify crosstalk and infidelity due to simultaneous readout and control of multiple qubits. Based on current amplifier technology, this approach can scale to simultaneous readout of at least 20 qubits. This work was supported by the Army Research Office.

Compact pulse width modulation circuitry for silicon photomultiplier readout.

PubMed

Bieniosek, M F; Olcott, P D; Levin, C S

2013-08-07

The adoption of solid-state photodetectors for positron emission tomography (PET) system design and the interest in 3D interaction information from PET detectors has lead to an increasing number of readout channels in PET systems. To handle these additional readout channels, PET readout electronics should be simplified to reduce the power consumption, cost, and size of the electronics for a single channel. Pulse-width modulation (PWM), where detector pulses are converted to digital pulses with width proportional to the detected photon energy, promises to simplify PET readout by converting the signals to digital form at the beginning of the processing chain, and allowing a single time-to-digital converter to perform the data acquisition for many channels rather than routing many analogue channels and digitizing in the back end. Integrator based PWM systems, also known as charge-to-time converters (QTCs), are especially compact, reducing the front-end electronics to an op-amp integrator with a resistor discharge, and a comparator. QTCs, however, have a long dead-time during which dark count noise is integrated, reducing the output signal-to-noise ratio. This work presents a QTC based PWM circuit with a gated integrator that shows performance improvements over existing QTC based PWM. By opening and closing an analogue switch on the input of the integrator, the circuit can be controlled to integrate only the portions of the signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio. It also allows for multiplexing different detectors into the same PWM circuit while avoiding uncorrelated noise propagation between photodetector channels. Four gated integrator PWM circuits were built to readout the spatial channels of two position sensitive solid-state photomultiplier (PS-SSPM). Results show a 4 × 4 array 0.9 mm × 0.9 mm × 15 mm of LYSO crystals being identified on the 5 mm × 5 mm PS-SSPM at room temperature with no degradation for twofold multiplexing. In principle, much larger multiplexing ratios are possible, limited only by count rate issues.

Readout and DAQ for Pixel Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Platkevic, Michal

2010-01-01

Data readout and acquisition control of pixel detectors demand the transfer of significantly a large amounts of bits between the detector and the computer. For this purpose dedicated interfaces are used which are designed with focus on features like speed, small dimensions or flexibility of use such as digital signal processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and USB communication ports. This work summarizes the readout and DAQ system built for state-of-the-art pixel detectors of the Medipix family.

Readout Electronics for the Central Drift Chamber of the Belle-II Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchida, Tomohisa; Taniguchi, Takashi; Ikeno, Masahiro; Iwasaki, Yoshihito; Saito, Masatoshi; Shimazaki, Shoichi; Tanaka, Manobu M.; Taniguchi, Nanae; Uno, Shoji

2015-08-01

We have developed readout electronics for the central drift chamber (CDC) of the Belle-II detector. The space near the endplate of the CDC for installation of the electronics was limited by the detector structure. Due to the large amounts of data generated by the CDC, a high-speed data link, with a greater than one gigabit transfer rate, was required to transfer the data to a back-end computer. A new readout module was required to satisfy these requirements. This module processes 48 signals from the CDC, converts them to digital data and transfers it directly to the computer. All functions that transfer digital data via the high speed link were implemented on the single module. We have measured its electrical characteristics and confirmed that the results satisfy the requirements of the Belle-II experiment.

Design and performance of a custom ASIC digitizer for wire chamber readout in 65 nm CMOS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, M. J.; Brown, D. N.; Chang, J. K.; Ding, D.; Gnani, D.; Grace, C. R.; Jones, J. A.; Kolomensky, Y. G.; von der Lippe, H.; Mcvittie, P. J.; Stettler, M. W.; Walder, J.-P.

2015-06-01

We present the design and performance of a prototype ASIC digitizer for integrated wire chamber readout, implemented in 65 nm commercial CMOS technology. Each channel of the 4-channel prototype is composed of two 16-bit Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs), one 8-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), a front-end preamplifier and shaper, plus digital and analog buffers that support a variety of digitization chains. The prototype has a multiplexed digital backend that executes a state machine, distributes control and timing signals, and buffers data for serial output. Laboratory bench tests measure the absolute TDC resolution between 74 ps and 480 ps, growing with the absolute delay, and a relative time resolution of 19 ps. Resolution outliers due to cross-talk between clock signals and supply or reference voltages are seen. After calibration, the ADC displays good linearity and noise performance, with an effective number of bits of 6.9. Under normal operating conditions the circuit consumes 32 mW per channel. Potential design improvements to address the resolution drift and tails are discussed.

Development of a Crosstalk Suppression Algorithm for KID Readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kyungmin; Ishitsuka, H.; Oguri, S.; Suzuki, J.; Tajima, O.; Tomita, N.; Won, Eunil; Yoshida, M.

2018-06-01

The GroundBIRD telescope aims to detect B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation using the kinetic inductance detector array as a polarimeter. For the readout of the signal from detector array, we have developed a frequency division multiplexing readout system based on a digital down converter method. These techniques in general have the leakage problems caused by the crosstalks. The window function was applied in the field programmable gate arrays to mitigate the effect of these problems and tested it in algorithm level.

Digital frequency domain multiplexing readout electronics for the next generation of millimeter telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, Amy N.; Cliche, Jean-François; de Haan, Tijmen; Dobbs, Matt A.; Gilbert, Adam J.; Montgomery, Joshua; Rowlands, Neil; Smecher, Graeme M.; Smith, Ken; Wilson, Andrew

2014-07-01

Frequency domain multiplexing (fMux) is an established technique for the readout of transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers in millimeter-wavelength astrophysical instrumentation. In fMux, the signals from multiple detectors are read out on a single pair of wires reducing the total cryogenic thermal loading as well as the cold component complexity and cost of a system. The current digital fMux system, in use by POLARBEAR, EBEX, and the South Pole Telescope, is limited to a multiplexing factor of 16 by the dynamic range of the Superconducting Quantum Interference Device pre-amplifier and the total system bandwidth. Increased multiplexing is key for the next generation of large format TES cameras, such as SPT-3G and POLARBEAR2, which plan to have on the of order 15,000 detectors. Here, we present the next generation fMux readout, focusing on the warm electronics. In this system, the multiplexing factor increases to 64 channels per module (2 wires) while maintaining low noise levels and detector stability. This is achieved by increasing the system bandwidth, reducing the dynamic range requirements though active feedback, and digital synthesis of voltage biases with a novel polyphase filter algorithm. In addition, a version of the new fMux readout includes features such as low power consumption and radiation-hard components making it viable for future space-based millimeter telescopes such as the LiteBIRD satellite.

JPRS Report, Science and Technology, Europe.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-16

nature of their central energy sources, to the complex distribution of gases around the nucleus and possibly to understanding the origin of the diffuse...development. CCD’s are ideal for single photon X-ray imaging and spectroscopy. They have a high quantum efficiency over a broad energy range, high spatial...resolution, low readout noise, and an energy resolution approaching 100 at high energy levels. Reflection gratings have been chosen for XMM rather

Plane-grating flat-field soft x-ray spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hague, C. F.; Underwood, J. H.; Avila, A.; Delaunay, R.; Ringuenet, H.; Marsi, M.; Sacchi, M.

2005-02-01

We describe a soft x-ray spectrometer covering the 120-800 eV range. It is intended for resonant inelastic x-ray scattering experiments performed at third generation synchrotron radiation (SR) facilities and has been developed with SOLEIL, the future French national SR source in mind. The Hettrick-Underwood principle is at the heart of the design using a combination of varied line-spacing plane grating and spherical-mirror to provide a flat-field image. It is slitless for optimum acceptance. This means the source size determines the resolving power. A spot size of ⩽5μm is planned at SOLEIL which, according to simulations, should ensure a resolving power ⩾1000 over the whole energy range. A 1024×1024 pixel charge-coupled device (CCD) with a 13μm×13μm pixel size is used. This is an improvement on the use of microchannel-plate detectors, both as concerns efficiency and spatial resolution. Additionally spectral line curvature is avoided by the use of a horizontal focusing mirror concentrating the beam in the nondispersing direction. It allows for readout using a binning mode to reduce the intrinsically large CCD readout noise. Preliminary results taken at beamlines at Elettra (Trieste) and at BESSY (Berlin) are presented.

Development of a novel direct X-ray detector using photoinduced discharge (PID) readout for digital radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heo, D.; Jeon, S.; Kim, J.-S.; Kim, R. K.; Cha, B. K.; Moon, B. J.; Yoon, J.

2013-02-01

We developed a novel direct X-ray detector using photoinduced discharge (PID) readout for digital radiography. The pixel resolution is 512 × 512 with 200 μm pixel and the overall active dimensions of the X-ray imaging panel is 10.24 cm × 10.24 cm. The detector consists of an X-ray absorption layer of amorphous selenium, a charge accumulation layer of metal, and a PID readout layer of amorphous silicon. In particular, the charge accumulation is pixelated because image charges generated by X-ray should be stored pixel by pixel. Here the image charges, or holes, are recombined with electrons generated by the PID method. We used a 405 nm laser diode and cylindrical lens to make a line beam source with a width of 50 μm for PID readout, which generates charges for each pixel lines during the scan. We obtained spatial frequencies of about 1.0 lp/mm for the X-direction (lateral direction) and 0.9 lp/mm for the Y-direction (scanning direction) at 50% modulation transfer function.

Temporal focusing-based multiphoton excitation microscopy via digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Yih, Jenq-Nan; Hu, Yvonne Yuling; Sie, Yong Da; Cheng, Li-Chung; Lien, Chi-Hsiang; Chen, Shean-Jen

2014-06-01

This Letter presents an enhanced temporal focusing-based multiphoton excitation (MPE) microscope in which the conventional diffraction grating is replaced by a digital micromirror device (DMD). Experimental results from imaging a thin fluorescence film show that the 4.0 μm axial resolution of the microscope is comparable with that of a setup incorporating a 600  lines/mm grating; hence, the optical sectioning ability of the proposed setup is demonstrated. Similar to a grating, the DMD diffracts illuminating light frequencies for temporal focusing; additionally, it generates arbitrary patterns. Since the DMD is placed on the image-conjugate plane of the objective lens' focal plane, the MPE pattern can be projected on the focal plane precisely.

Plasmonically amplified bioassay - Total internal reflection fluorescence vs. epifluorescence geometry.

PubMed

Hageneder, Simone; Bauch, Martin; Dostalek, Jakub

2016-08-15

This paper investigates plasmonic amplification in two commonly used optical configurations for fluorescence readout of bioassays - epifluorescence (EPF) and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF). The plasmonic amplification in the EPF configuration was implemented by using crossed gold diffraction grating and Kretschmann geometry of attenuated total reflection method (ATR) was employed in the TIRF configuration. Identical assay, surface architecture for analyte capture, and optics for the excitation, collection and detection of emitted fluorescence light intensity were used in both TIRF and EPF configurations. Simulations predict that the crossed gold diffraction grating (EPF) can amplify the fluorescence signal by a factor of 10(2) by the combination of surface plasmon-enhanced excitation and directional surface plasmon-coupled emission in the red part of spectrum. This factor is about order of magnitude higher than that predicted for the Kretschmann geometry (TIRF) which only took advantage of the surface plasmon-enhanced excitation. When applied for the readout of sandwich interleukin 6 (IL-6) immunoassay, the plasmonically amplified EPF geometry designed for Alexa Fluor 647 labels offered 4-times higher fluorescence signal intensity compared to TIRF. Interestingly, both geometries allowed reaching the same detection limit of 0.4pM despite of the difference in the fluorescence signal enhancement. This is attributed to inherently lower background of fluorescence signal for TIRF geometry compared to that for EPF which compensates for the weaker fluorescence signal enhancement. The analysis of the inflammation biomarker IL-6 in serum at medically relevant concentrations and the utilization of plasmonic amplification for the fluorescence measurement of kinetics of surface affinity reactions are demonstrated for both EPF and TIRF readout. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Population gratings in saturable optical fibers with randomly oriented rare-earth ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanov, S.; Martinez, L. M.; Hernandez, E. H.; Agruzov, P.; Shamray, A.

2015-07-01

Formation of the dynamic population gratings in optical fibers with randomly oriented rare-earth ions is analyzed with a special interest to the grating component for readout with the orthogonal light polarization. It is shown that as compared with a simple model case of the collinearly oriented dipole-like centers their random orientation leads to approximately 2-times growth of the effective saturation power P sat when it is estimated from the incident power dependence of the fiber absorption or from that of the fluorescence intensity. An optimal incident power, for which the maximum of the dynamic population grating amplitude for collinear light polarization is observed, also follows this change in P sat, while formation of the grating for orthogonal polarization needs essentially higher light power. The reduced anisotropy of the active centers, which is in charge of the experimentally observed weakening of the polarization hole burning (PHB) and of the fluorescence polarization, compensates in some way the effect of random ion orientation. The ratio between the maximum conventional (i.e. for the interacting waves collinear polarizations) two-wave mixing (TWM) amplitude and the initial not saturable fiber optical density proves to be, however, nearly the same as in the model case of collinearly oriented dipoles. The ratio between the PHB effect and the amplitude of the anisotropic grating, which is responsible for TWM of the orthogonally polarized waves, is also not influenced significantly by the reduced anisotropy of ions.

DIODE STEERED MANGETIC-CORE MEMORY

DOEpatents

Melmed, A.S.; Shevlin, R.T.; Laupheimer, R.

1962-09-18

A word-arranged magnetic-core memory is designed for use in a digital computer utilizing the reverse or back current property of the semi-conductor diodes to restore the information in the memory after read-out. In order to ob tain a read-out signal from a magnetic core storage unit, it is necessary to change the states of some of the magnetic cores. In order to retain the information in the memory after read-out it is then necessary to provide a means to return the switched cores to their states before read-out. A rewrite driver passes a pulse back through each row of cores in which some switching has taken place. This pulse combines with the reverse current pulses of diodes for each column in which a core is switched during read-out to cause the particular cores to be switched back into their states prior to read-out. (AEC)

The electronics readout and data acquisition system of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope node

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Real, Diego; Collaboration: KM3NeT Collaboration

2014-11-18

The KM3NeT neutrino telescope will be composed by tens of thousands of glass spheres, called Digital Optical Module (DOM), each of them containing 31 PMTs of small photocathode area (3'). The readout and data acquisition system of KM3NeT have to collect, treat and send to shore, in an economic way, the enormous amount of data produced by the photomultipliers and at the same time to provide time synchronization between each DOM at the level of 1 ns. It is described in the present article the Central Logic Board, that integrates the Time to Digital Converters and the White Rabbit protocolmore » used for the DOM synchronization in a transparent way, the Power Board used in the DOM, the PMT base to readout the photomultipliers and the respective collecting boards, the so called Octopus Board.« less

Resistor-less charge sensitive amplifier for semiconductor detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelczar, K.; Panas, K.; Zuzel, G.

2016-11-01

A new concept of a Charge Sensitive Amplifier without a high-value resistor in the feedback loop is presented. Basic spectroscopic parameters of the amplifier coupled to a coaxial High Purity Germanium detector (HPGe) are discussed. The amplifier signal input is realized with an n-channel J-FET transistor. The feedback capacitor is discharged continuously by the second, forward biased n-channel J-FET, driven by an RC low-pass filter. Both the analog-with a standard spectroscopy amplifier and a multi-channel analyzer-and the digital-by applying a Flash Analog to Digital Converter-signal readouts were tested. The achieved resolution in the analog and the digital readouts was 0.17% and 0.21%, respectively, at the Full Width at Half Maximum of the registered 60Co 1332.5 keV gamma line.

Department of Defense In-House RDT&E Activities, FY97, Management Analysis Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-05-01

NUMBER (p48o9*VTL# M -MiFAtjo T-LIc~oLoG/-rA44J rnot) -refj PfA cA4J P04-3 Di 9c mTTf130D. c. 7 l q I - o? o __ _ _ __ _ _ _ S. SPONSORING I MONITORIWO...and active fiber Bragg grating sensor readout systems with ultra-high measurement sensitivity. Title: Evaluation of Dye Sorption Phenomena on Nano-Sized

Image sensor with high dynamic range linear output

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yadid-Pecht, Orly (Inventor); Fossum, Eric R. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

Designs and operational methods to increase the dynamic range of image sensors and APS devices in particular by achieving more than one integration times for each pixel thereof. An APS system with more than one column-parallel signal chains for readout are described for maintaining a high frame rate in readout. Each active pixel is sampled for multiple times during a single frame readout, thus resulting in multiple integration times. The operation methods can also be used to obtain multiple integration times for each pixel with an APS design having a single column-parallel signal chain for readout. Furthermore, analog-to-digital conversion of high speed and high resolution can be implemented.

Adaptive spatiotemporal optical pulse front tilt using a digital micromirror device and its terahertz application.

PubMed

Murate, Kosuke; Roshtkhari, Mehraveh Javan; Ropagnol, Xavier; Blanchard, François

2018-05-01

We report a new method to temporally and spatially manipulate the pulse front tilt (PFT) intensity profile of an ultrashort optical pulse using a commercial microelectromechanical system, also known as a digital micromirror device (DMD). For our demonstration, we show terahertz generation in a lithium niobate crystal using the PFT pumping scheme derived from a DMD chip. The adaptive functionality of the DMD could be a convenient alternative to the more conventional grating required to generate a laser beam with a PFT intensity profile that is typically used for efficient optical rectification in noncollinear phase-matching conditions. In contrast to a grating, PFT using DMD does not suffer from wavelength dispersion, and exhibits overlap properties between grating and a stair-step echelon mirror.

Design and Implementation of Readout Circuit with Threshold Voltage Compensation on Glass Substrate for Touch Panel Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yu-Ta; Ker, Ming-Dou; Wang, Tzu-Ming

2011-03-01

A new on-panel readout circuit with threshold voltage compensation for capacitive sensor in low temperature polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistor (LTPS-TFT) process has been proposed. In order to compensate the threshold voltage variation from LTPS process variation, the proposed readout circuit applies a novel compensation approach with switch capacitor technique. In addition, a 4-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is added to identify different sensed capacitor values and further enhances the overall resolution of touch panel.

Electronic readout system for the Belle II imaging Time-Of-Propagation detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotchetkov, Dmitri

2017-07-01

The imaging Time-Of-Propagation (iTOP) detector, constructed for the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB e+e- collider, is an 8192-channel high precision Cherenkov particle identification detector with timing resolution below 50 ps. To acquire data from the iTOP, a novel front-end electronic readout system was designed, built, and integrated. Switched-capacitor array application-specific integrated circuits are used to sample analog signals. Triggering, digitization, readout, and data transfer are controlled by Xilinx Zynq-7000 system on a chip devices.

Optical image hiding based on chaotic vibration of deformable moiré grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Guangqing; Saunoriene, Loreta; Aleksiene, Sandra; Ragulskis, Minvydas

2018-03-01

Image hiding technique based on chaotic vibration of deformable moiré grating is presented in this paper. The embedded secret digital image is leaked in a form of a pattern of time-averaged moiré fringes when the deformable cover grating vibrates according to a chaotic law of motion with a predefined set of parameters. Computational experiments are used to demonstrate the features and the applicability of the proposed scheme.

Design and performance of the readout electronics chain of the Delphi Forward Ring Imaging Cherenkov Detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dam, P.; Nielsen, B.S.; Formenti, F.

1992-10-01

In this paper the Front End Readout electronics chain of the Forward Ring Imaging CHerenkov (FRICH) Detector used at the Delphi experiment of the Large Electron Positron (LEP) collider is presented. The system incorporates a wide band low noise preamplifier, mounted in the proximity of the MultiWire Proportional Chamber, an Amplifying-Discriminating-Multiple-xing FASTBUS unit for further signal amplification, discrimination and channel reduction and a LEP Time Digitizer FASTBUS unit for time digitization. The paper gives a general view of the detector and its electronics with particular emphasis on the novel characteristics and capabilities of the system.

A Simulation of the Front End Signal Digitization for the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer thin RPC trigger upgrade project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xiangting; Chapman, John; Levin, Daniel; Dai, Tiesheng; Zhu, Junjie; Zhou, Bing; Um Atlas Group Team

2016-03-01

The ATLAS Muon Spectrometer Phase-I (and Phase-II) upgrade includes the BIS78 muon trigger detector project: two sets of eight very thin Resistive Place Chambers (tRPCs) combined with small Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) chambers in the pseudorapidity region 1<| η|<1.3. The tRPCs will be comprised of triplet readout layer in each of the eta and azimuthal phi coordinates, with about 400 readout strips per layer. The anticipated hit rate is 100-200 kHz per strip. Digitization of the strip signals will be done by 32-channel CERN HPTDC chips. The HPTDC is a highly configurable ASIC designed by the CERN Microelectronics group. It can work in both trigger and trigger-less modes, be readout in parallel or serially. For Phase-I operation, a stringent latency requirement of 43 bunch crossings (1075 ns) is imposed. The latency budget for the front end digitization must be kept to a minimal value, ideally less than 350 ns. We conducted detailed HPTDC latency simulations using the Behavioral Verilog code from the CERN group. We will report the results of these simulations run for the anticipated detector operating environment and for various HPTDC configurations.

Radiation Tolerant Electronics and Digital Processing for the Phase-1 Read-out Upgrade of the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milic, A.

The ATLAS Liquid Argon calorimeters are designed and built to study proton-proton collisions produced at the LHC at centre-of-mass energies up to 14 TeV. Liquid argon (LAr) sampling calorimeters are employed for all electromagnetic calorimetry in the pseudorapidity region |η|<3.2, and for hadronic calorimetry in the region from |η|=1.5 to |η|=4.9. Although the nominal LHC experimental programme is still in progress, an upgrade of the read-out electronics is being launched to cope with luminosities of up to 3x10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1}, which are beyond the original design by a factor of 3. An improved spatial granularity of the triggermore » primitives is therefore proposed in order to improve the identification performance for trigger signatures, like electrons, photons, tau leptons, jets, total and missing energy, at high background rejection rates. For the upgrade Phase-1 in 2018, new LAr Trigger Digitizer Boards (LTDB) are being designed to receive higher granularity signals, digitize them on detector and send them via fast optical links to a new LAr digital processing system (LDPS). The LDPS applies a digital filtering and identifies significant energy depositions in each trigger channel. The refined trigger primitives are then transmitted to the first level trigger system to extract improved trigger signatures. The read-out of the trigger signals will process 34000 so-called Super Cells at every LHC bunch-crossing at a frequency of 40 MHz. The new LTDB on-detector electronics is designed to be radiation tolerant in order to be operated for the remaining live-time of the ATLAS detector up to a total luminosity of 3000 fb{sup -1}. For the analog-to-digital conversion (12-bit ADC at 40 MSPS), the data serialization and the fast optical link (5.44 Gb/s) custom components have been developed. They have been qualified for the expected radiation environment of a total ionization dose of 1.3 kGy and a hadron fluence of 6 x 10{sup 13} h/cm{sup 2} with energies above 20 MeV. For the digital components like the ADC, cross-sections for single event effects have been determined. This talk will present R and D results from tests of the radiation tolerant components, the fast data processing electronics and prototypes of the LTDB and LDPS boards. First experience from a Demonstrator setup will be reported, in which about 1/10 of the full Super Cell readout will be equipped with prototype versions of the LTDB and LDPS boards. The Demonstrator will be operated in parallel to the regular ATLAS trigger read-out during the upcoming LHC run. (authors)« less

Two-dimensional ultrahigh-density X-ray optical memory.

PubMed

Bezirganyan, Hakob P; Bezirganyan, Siranush E; Bezirganyan, Hayk H; Bezirganyan, Petros H

2007-01-01

Most important aspect of nanotechnology applications in the information ultrahigh storage is the miniaturization of data carrier elements of the storage media with emphasis on the long-term stability. Proposed two-dimensional ultrahigh-density X-ray optical memory, named X-ROM, with long-term stability is an information carrier basically destined for digital data archiving. X-ROM is a semiconductor wafer, in which the high-reflectivity nanosized X-ray mirrors are embedded. Data are encoded due to certain positions of the mirrors. Ultrahigh-density data recording procedure can e.g., be performed via mask-less zone-plate-array lithography (ZPAL), spatial-phase-locked electron-beam lithography (SPLEBL), or focused ion-beam lithography (FIB). X-ROM manufactured by nanolithography technique is a write-once memory useful for terabit-scale memory applications, if the surface area of the smallest recording pits is less than 100 nm2. In this case the X-ROM surface-storage capacity of a square centimetre becomes by two orders of magnitude higher than the volumetric data density really achieved for three-dimensional optical data storage medium. Digital data read-out procedure from proposed X-ROM can e.g., be performed via glancing-angle incident X-ray micro beam (GIX) using the well-developed X-ray reflectometry technique. In presented theoretical paper the crystal-analyser operating like an image magnifier is added to the set-up of X-ROM data handling system for the purpose analogous to case of application the higher numerical aperture objective in optical data read-out system. We also propose the set-up of the X-ROM readout system based on more the one incident X-ray micro beam. Presented scheme of two-beam data handling system, which operates on two mutually perpendicular well-collimated monochromatic incident X-ray micro beams, essentially increases the reliability of the digital information read-out procedure. According the graphs of characteristic functions presented in paper, one may choose optimally the incident radiation wavelength, as well as the angle of incidence of X-ray micro beams, appropriate for proposed digital data read-out procedure.

Ultra-Compact, Superconducting Spectrometer-on-a-Chip at Submillimeter Wavelengths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chattopadhyay, Goutam; Zmuidzinas, Jonas; Bradford, Charles M.; Leduc, Henry G.; Day, Peter K.; Swenson, Loren; Hailey-Dunsheath, Steven; O'Brient, Roger C.; Padin, Stephen; Shirokoff, Erik D.;

Deferred electronic heterodyne moire deflectometry: A method for transient density fields measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stricker, Josef

1989-01-01

Effects of spherical aberrations of the mirror used in the moire system on the angular resolution of the system are investigated. It is shown that the spherical aberrations may reduce significantly the performance of the conventional moire deflectometer. However, due to the heterodyne procedure, this is not the case with the heterodyne moire system. A moire system with a constant speed moving grating is demonstrated. It is shown that the system readout is linear and the system does not need calibration. In addition, the repeatability of the measurements is improved in this system as compared to the sinusoidally moving grating setup. The problem of the photographic plates alignment is solved by using a mechanical system in which the plate is held firmly throughout the experiment and accurately replaced after removing for photographic processing. The effect of a circular detector's aperture size on readout was tested. It is shown that the spatial phase variations, observed when scanning along a straight moire fringe, may considerably be reduced. At present we may say that both the on-line and the deferred heterodyne moire techniques may reliably be used. The errors of phase readings are 1 deg and 5 deg for the on-line and deferred methods. The total error due to subtraction of two readings at each position is, therefore, 1.4 deg and 7 deg, respectively. Further research for improving the deferred system is suggested.

An application specific integrated circuit based multi-anode microchannel array readout system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smeins, Larry G.; Stechman, John M.; Cole, Edward H.

1991-01-01

Size reduction of two new multi-anode microchannel array (MAMA) readout systems is described. The systems are based on two analog and one digital application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The new readout systems reduce volume over previous discrete designs by 80 percent while improving electrical performance on virtually every significant parameter. Emphasis is made on the packaging used to achieve the volume reduction. Surface mount technology (SMT) is combined with modular construction for the analog portion of the readout. SMT reliability concerns and the board area impact of MIL SPEC SMT components is addressed. Package selection for the analog ASIC is discussed. Future sytems will require even denser packaging and the volume reduction progression is shown.

Study report on laser storage and retrieval of image data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, C. H.

1976-01-01

The theoretical foundation is presented for a system of real-time nonphotographic and nonmagnetic digital laser storage and retrieval of image data. The system utilizes diffraction-limited laser focusing upon thin metal films, melting elementary holes in the metal films in laser focus. The metal films are encapsulated in rotating flexible mylar discs which act as the permanent storage carries. Equal sized holes encompass two dimensional digital ensembles of information bits which are time-sequentially (bit by bit) stored and retrieved. The bits possess the smallest possible size, defined by the Rayleigh criterion of coherent physical optics. Space and time invariant reflective read-out of laser discs with a small laser, provides access to the stored digital information. By eliminating photographic and magnetic data processing, which characterize the previous state of the art, photographic grain, diffusion, and gamma-distortion do not exist. Similarly, magnetic domain structures, magnetic gaps, and magnetic read-out are absent with a digital laser disc system.

Radiation Hardening of Digital Color CMOS Camera-on-a-Chip Building Blocks for Multi-MGy Total Ionizing Dose Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goiffon, Vincent; Rolando, Sébastien; Corbière, Franck; Rizzolo, Serena; Chabane, Aziouz; Girard, Sylvain; Baer, Jérémy; Estribeau, Magali; Magnan, Pierre; Paillet, Philippe; Van Uffelen, Marco; Mont Casellas, Laura; Scott, Robin; Gaillardin, Marc; Marcandella, Claude; Marcelot, Olivier; Allanche, Timothé

2017-01-01

The Total Ionizing Dose (TID) hardness of digital color Camera-on-a-Chip (CoC) building blocks is explored in the Multi-MGy range using 60Co gamma-ray irradiations. The performances of the following CoC subcomponents are studied: radiation hardened (RH) pixel and photodiode designs, RH readout chain, Color Filter Arrays (CFA) and column RH Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC). Several radiation hardness improvements are reported (on the readout chain and on dark current). CFAs and ADCs degradations appear to be very weak at the maximum TID of 6 MGy(SiO2), 600 Mrad. In the end, this study demonstrates the feasibility of a MGy rad-hard CMOS color digital camera-on-a-chip, illustrated by a color image captured after 6 MGy(SiO2) with no obvious degradation. An original dark current reduction mechanism in irradiated CMOS Image Sensors is also reported and discussed.

Novel plasmonic polarimeter for biomedical imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheney, Alec; Chen, Borui; Cartwright, Alexander; Thomay, Tim

2018-02-01

Using polarized light in medical imaging is a valuable tool for diagnostic purposes since light traveling through scattering tissues such as skin, blood, or cartilage may be subject to changes in polarization. We present a new detection scheme and sensor that allows for directly measuring the polarization of light electronically using a plasmonic sensor. The sensor we fabricated consists of a plasmonic nano-grating that is embedded in a Wheatstone circuit. Using resistive losses induced by optically excited plasmons has shown promise as a CMOScompatible plasmonic light detector. Since the plasmonic response is sensitive to polarization with respect to the grating orientation, measuring the resistance change under incident light supplies a direct electronic measure of the polarization of light without polarization optics. Increased electron scattering introduced by plasmons in an applied current results in a measurable decrease in electrical conductance of a grating, allowing a purely electronic readout of a plasmonic excitation. Accordingly, because of its plasmonic nature, such a detector is dependent on both the wavelength and polarization of incident light with a response time limited by the surface plasmon lifetime.

A rack-mounted precision waveguide-below-cutoff attenuator with an absolute electronic readout

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, C. C.

1974-01-01

A coaxial precision waveguide-below-cutoff attenuator is described which uses an absolute (unambiguous) electronic digital readout of displacement in inches in addition to the usual gear driven mechanical counter-dial readout in decibels. The attenuator is rack-mountable and has the input and output RF connectors in a fixed position. The attenuation rate for 55, 50, and 30 MHz operation is given along with a discussion of sources of errors. In addition, information is included to aid the user in making adjustments on the attenuator should it be damaged or disassembled for any reason.

Event-related potential indices of workload in a single task paradigm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horst, R. L.; Munson, R. C.; Ruchkin, D. S.

1984-01-01

Many previous studies of both behavioral and physiological correlates of cognitive workload have burdened subjects with a contrived secondary task in order to assess the workload of a primary task. The present study investigated event-related potential (ERP) indices of workload in a single task paradigm. Subjects monitored changing digital readouts for values that went 'out-of-bounds'. The amplitude of a long-latency positivity in the ERPs elicited by readout changes increased with the number of readouts being monitored. This effect of workload on ERPs is reported, along with plans for additional analyses to address theoretical implications.

Fast Magnetoresistive Random-Access Memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Jiin-Chuan; Stadler, Henry L.; Katti, Romney R.

1991-01-01

Magnetoresistive binary digital memories of proposed new type expected to feature high speed, nonvolatility, ability to withstand ionizing radiation, high density, and low power. In memory cell, magnetoresistive effect exploited more efficiently by use of ferromagnetic material to store datum and adjacent magnetoresistive material to sense datum for readout. Because relative change in sensed resistance between "zero" and "one" states greater, shorter sampling and readout access times achievable.

A Preliminary Research on the Development of the Hard X-Ray Imaging Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, C. X.; Cai, M. S.; Hu, Y. M.; Huang, Y. Y.; Gong, Y. Z.

2014-03-01

Since the 1860s, astronomers have explored a new field with the discovery of X-ray. Instead of the conventional imaging technique by using mirrors or lens, which can not work in the high-energy bands, direct imaging, coded aperture, and Fourier transform are used for the high-energy imaging. It can be implemented in various hardware configurations, among which the spatial modulation collimator are widely used. We adopt the grating collimator based on Fourier transform that is discussed in detail. This paper makes an investigation on the fabrication process of grating. The key components of the hard X-ray telescope based on the spatial modulation are developed, which contains 8 CsI-detector modules, 8-channel shaping amplifiers, and data acquisition system. The preliminary test results of readout electronics system are obtained.

Rotary encoding device using polygonal mirror with diffraction gratings on each facet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A device for position encoding of a rotating shaft in which a polygonal mirror having a number of facets is mounted to the shaft and a monochromatic light beam is directed towards the facets. The facets of the polygonal mirror each have a low line density diffraction grating to diffract the monochromatic light beam into a number of diffracted light beams such that a number of light spots are created on a linear array detector. An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the linear array detector for reading the position of the spots on the linear array detector means. A microprocessor with memory is connected to the analog-to-digital converter to hold and manipulate the data provided by the analog-to-digital converter on the position of the spots and to compute the position of the shaft based upon the data from the analog-to-digital converter.

Visually testing the dynamic character of a blazed-angle adjustable grating by digital holographic microscopy.

PubMed

Qin, Chuan; Zhao, Jianlin; Di, Jianglei; Wang, Le; Yu, Yiting; Yuan, Weizheng

2009-02-10

We employed digital holographic microscopy to visually test microoptoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS). The sample is a blazed-angle adjustable grating. Considering the periodic structure of the sample, a local area unwrapping method based on a binary template was adopted to demodulate the fringes obtained by referring to a reference hologram. A series of holograms at different deformation states due to different drive voltages were captured to analyze the dynamic character of the MOEMS, and the uniformity of different microcantilever beams was also inspected. The results show this testing method is effective for a periodic structure.

A low-power small-area ADC array for IRFPA readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Shengyou; Yao, Libin

2013-09-01

The readout integrated circuit (ROIC) is a bridge between the infrared focal plane array (IRFPA) and image processing circuit in an infrared imaging system. The ROIC is the first part of signal processing circuit and connected to detectors directly, so its performance will greatly affect the detector or even the whole imaging system performance. With the development of CMOS technologies, it's possible to digitalize the signal inside the ROIC and develop the digital ROIC. Digital ROIC can reduce complexity of the whole system and improve the system reliability. More importantly, it can accommodate variety of digital signal processing techniques which the traditional analog ROIC cannot achieve. The analog to digital converter (ADC) is the most important building block in the digital ROIC. The requirements for ADCs inside the ROIC are low power, high dynamic range and small area. In this paper we propose an RC hybrid Successive Approximation Register (SAR) ADC as the column ADC for digital ROIC. In our proposed ADC structure, a resistor ladder is used to generate several voltages. The proposed RC hybrid structure not only reduces the area of capacitor array but also releases requirement for capacitor array matching. Theory analysis and simulation show RC hybrid SAR ADC is suitable for ADC array applications

Design of a CMOS readout circuit on ultra-thin flexible silicon chip for printed strain gauges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsobky, Mourad; Mahsereci, Yigit; Keck, Jürgen; Richter, Harald; Burghartz, Joachim N.

2017-09-01

Flexible electronics represents an emerging technology with features enabling several new applications such as wearable electronics and bendable displays. Precise and high-performance sensors readout chips are crucial for high quality flexible electronic products. In this work, the design of a CMOS readout circuit for an array of printed strain gauges is presented. The ultra-thin readout chip and the printed sensors are combined on a thin Benzocyclobutene/Polyimide (BCB/PI) substrate to form a Hybrid System-in-Foil (HySiF), which is used as an electronic skin for robotic applications. Each strain gauge utilizes a Wheatstone bridge circuit, where four Aerosol Jet® printed meander-shaped resistors form a full-bridge topology. The readout chip amplifies the output voltage difference (about 5 mV full-scale swing) of the strain gauge. One challenge during the sensor interface circuit design is to compensate for the relatively large dc offset (about 30 mV at 1 mA) in the bridge output voltage so that the amplified signal span matches the input range of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The circuit design uses the 0. 5 µm mixed-signal GATEFORESTTM technology. In order to achieve the mechanical flexibility, the chip fabrication is based on either back thinned wafers or the ChipFilmTM technology, which enables the manufacturing of silicon chips with a thickness of about 20 µm. The implemented readout chip uses a supply of 5 V and includes a 5-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a differential difference amplifier (DDA), and a 10-bit successive approximation register (SAR) ADC. The circuit is simulated across process, supply and temperature corners and the simulation results indicate excellent performance in terms of circuit stability and linearity.

Recent Results with CVD Diamond Trackers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, W.; Bauer, C.; Berdermann, E.; Bergonzo, P.; Bogani, F.; Borchi, E.; Brambilla, A.; Bruzzi, M.; Colledani, C.; Conway, J.; Dabrowski, W.; Delpierre, P.; Deneuville, A.; Dulinski, W.; van Eijk, B.; Fallou, A.; Fizzotti, F.; Foulon, F.; Friedl, M.; Gan, K. K.; Gheeraert, E.; Grigoriev, E.; Hallewell, G.; Hall-Wilton, R.; Han, S.; Hartjes, F.; Hrubec, J.; Husson, D.; Kagan, H.; Kania, D.; Kaplon, J.; Karl, C.; Kass, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Krammer, M.; Logiudice, A.; Lu, R.; Manfredi, P. F.; Manfredotti, C.; Marshall, R. D.; Meier, D.; Mishina, M.; Oh, A.; Pan, L. S.; Palmieri, V. G.; Pernicka, M.; Peitz, A.; Pirollo, S.; Polesello, P.; Pretzl, K.; Procario, M.; Re, V.; Riester, J. L.; Roe, S.; Roff, D.; Rudge, A.; Runolfsson, O.; Russ, J.; Schnetzer, S.; Sciortino, S.; Speziali, V.; Stelzer, H.; Stone, R.; Suter, B.; Tapper, R. J.; Tesarek, R.; Trawick, M.; Trischuk, W.; Vittone, E.; Walsh, A. M.; Wedenig, R.; Weilhammer, P.; White, C.; Ziock, H.; Zoeller, M.; RD42 Collaboration

1999-08-01

We present recent results on the use of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond microstrip detectors for charged particle tracking. A series of detectors was fabricated using 1 x 1 cm 2 diamonds. Good signal-to-noise ratios were observed using both slow and fast readout electronics. For slow readout electronics, 2 μs shaping time, the most probable signal-to-noise ratio was 50 to 1. For fast readout electronics, 25 ns peaking time, the most probable signal-to-noise ratio was 7 to 1. Using the first 2 x 4 cm 2 diamond from a production CVD reactor with slow readout electronics, the most probable signal-to-noise ratio was 23 to 1. The spatial resolution achieved for the detectors was consistent with the digital resolution expected from the detector pitch.

Characteristics of Various Photodiode Structures in CMOS Technology with Monolithic Signal Processing Electronics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mukhopadhyay, Sourav; Chandratre, V. B.; Sukhwani, Menka

2011-10-20

Monolithic optical sensor with readout electronics are needed in optical communication, medical imaging and scintillator based gamma spectroscopy system. This paper presents the design of three different CMOS photodiode test structures and two readout channels in a commercial CMOS technology catering to the need of nuclear instrumentation. The three photodiode structures each of 1 mm{sup 2} with readout electronics are fabricated in 0.35 um, 4 metal, double poly, N-well CMOS process. These photodiode structures are based on available P-N junction of standard CMOS process i.e. N-well/P-substrate, P+/N-well/P-substrate and inter-digitized P+/N-well/P-substrate. The comparisons of typical characteristics among three fabricated photo sensorsmore » are reported in terms of spectral sensitivity, dark current and junction capacitance. Among the three photodiode structures N-well/P-substrate photodiode shows higher spectral sensitivity compared to the other two photodiode structures. The inter-digitized P+/N-well/P-substrate structure has enhanced blue response compared to N-well/P-substrate and P+/N-well/P-substrate photodiode. Design and test results of monolithic readout electronics, for three different CMOS photodiode structures for application related to nuclear instrumentation, are also reported.« less

Research relative to high resolution camera on the advanced X-ray astrophysics facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The HRC (High Resolution Camera) is a photon counting instrument to be flown on the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). It is a large field of view, high angular resolution, detector for the x-ray telescope. The HRC consists of a CsI coated microchannel plate (MCP) acting as a soft x-ray photocathode, followed by a second MCP for high electronic gain. The MCPs are readout by a crossed grid of resistively coupled wires to provide high spatial resolution along with timing and pulse height data. The instrument will be used in two modes, as a direct imaging detector with a limiting sensitivity of 10 to the -15 ergs sq cm sec in a 10 to the 5th second exposure, and as a readout for an objective transmission grating providing spectral resolution of several hundreds to thousands.

Fast and accurate read-out of interferometric optical fiber sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartholsen, Ingebrigt; Hjelme, Dag R.

2016-03-01

We present results from an evaluation of phase and frequency estimation algorithms for read-out instrumentation of interferometric sensors. Tests on interrogating a micro Fabry-Perot sensor made of semi-spherical stimuli-responsive hydrogel immobilized on a single mode fiber end face, shows that an iterative quadrature demodulation technique (IQDT) implemented on a 32-bit microcontroller unit can achieve an absolute length accuracy of ±50 nm and length change accuracy of ±3 nm using an 80 nm SLED source and a grating spectrometer for interrogation. The mean absolute error for the frequency estimator is a factor 3 larger than the theoretical lower bound for a maximum likelihood estimator. The corresponding factor for the phase estimator is 1.3. The computation time for the IQDT algorithm is reduced by a factor 1000 compared to the full QDT for the same accuracy requirement.

Apodized grating coupler using fully-etched nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hua; Li, Chong; Li, Zhi-Yong; Guo, Xia

2016-08-01

A two-dimensional apodized grating coupler for interfacing between single-mode fiber and photonic circuit is demonstrated in order to bridge the mode gap between the grating coupler and optical fiber. The grating grooves of the grating couplers are realized by columns of fully etched nanostructures, which are utilized to digitally tailor the effective refractive index of each groove in order to obtain the Gaussian-like output diffractive mode and then enhance the coupling efficiency. Compared with that of the uniform grating coupler, the coupling efficiency of the apodized grating coupler is increased by 4.3% and 5.7%, respectively, for the nanoholes and nanorectangles as refractive index tunes layer. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61222501, 61335004, and 61505003), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20111103110019), the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Beijing Funded Project, China (Grant No. Q6002012201502), and the Science and Technology Research Project of Jiangxi Provincial Education Department, China (Grant No. GJJ150998).

MEMS-based tunable gratings and their applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yiting; Yuan, Weizheng; Qiao, Dayong

2015-03-01

The marriage of optics and MEMS has resulted in a new category of optical devices and systems that have unprecedented advantages compared with their traditional counterparts. As an important spatial light modulating technology, diffractive optical MEMS obtains a wide variety of successful commercial applications, e.g. projection displays, optical communication and spectral analysis, due to its features of highly compact, low-cost, IC-compatible, excellent performance, and providing possibilities for developing totally new, yet smart devices and systems. Three most successful MEMS diffraction gratings (GLVs, Polychromator and DMDs) are briefly introduced and their potential applications are analyzed. Then, three different MEMS tunable gratings developed by our group, named as micro programmable blazed gratings (μPBGs) and micro pitch-tunable gratings (μPTGs) working in either digital or analog mode, are demonstrated. The strategies to largely enhance the maximum blazed angle and grating period are described. Some preliminary application explorations based on the developed grating devices are also shown. For our ongoing research focus, we will further improve the device performance to meet the engineering application requirements.

Comparison of two optimized readout chains for low light CIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boukhayma, A.; Peizerat, A.; Dupret, A.; Enz, C.

2014-03-01

We compare the noise performance of two optimized readout chains that are based on 4T pixels and featuring the same bandwidth of 265kHz (enough to read 1Megapixel with 50frame/s). Both chains contain a 4T pixel, a column amplifier and a single slope analog-to-digital converter operating a CDS. In one case, the pixel operates in source follower configuration, and in common source configuration in the other case. Based on analytical noise calculation of both readout chains, an optimization methodology is presented. Analytical results are confirmed by transient simulations using 130nm process. A total input referred noise bellow 0.4 electrons RMS is reached for a simulated conversion gain of 160μV/e-. Both optimized readout chains show the same input referred 1/f noise. The common source based readout chain shows better performance for thermal noise and requires smaller silicon area. We discuss the possible drawbacks of the common source configuration and provide the reader with a comparative table between the two readout chains. The table contains several variants (column amplifier gain, in-pixel transistor sizes and type).

Computer-generated holograms and diffraction gratings in optical security applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepien, Pawel J.

2000-04-01

The term 'computer generated hologram' (CGH) describes a diffractive structure strictly calculated and recorded to diffract light in a desired way. The CGH surface profile is a result of the wavefront calculation rather than of interference. CGHs are able to form 2D and 3D images. Optically, variable devices (OVDs) composed of diffractive gratings are often used in security applications. There are various types of optically and digitally recorded gratings in security applications. Grating based OVDs are used to record bright 2D images with limited range of cinematic effects. These effects result form various orientations or densities of recorded gratings. It is difficult to record high quality OVDs of 3D objects using gratings. Stereo grams and analogue rainbow holograms offer 3D imaging, but they are darker and have lower resolution than grating OVDs. CGH based OVDs contains unlimited range of cinematic effects and high quality 3D images. Images recorded using CGHs are usually more noisy than grating based OVDs, because of numerical inaccuracies in CGH calculation and mastering. CGH based OVDs enable smooth integration of hidden and machine- readable features within an OVD design.

Super-resolved Mirau digital holography by structured illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganjkhani, Yasaman; Charsooghi, Mohammad A.; Akhlaghi, Ehsan A.; Moradi, Ali-Reza

2017-12-01

In this paper, we apply structured illumination toward super-resolved 3D imaging in a common-path digital holography arrangement. Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) provides non-invasive 3D images of transparent samples as well as 3D profiles of reflective surfaces. A compact and vibration-immune arrangement for DHM may be obtained through the use of a Mirau microscope objective. However, high-magnification Mirau objectives have a low working distance and are expensive. Low-magnification ones, on the other hand, suffer from low lateral resolution. Structured illumination has been widely used for resolution improvement of intensity images, but the technique can also be readily applied to DHM. We apply structured illumination to Mirau DHM by implementing successive sinusoidal gratings with different orientations onto a spatial light modulator (SLM) and forming its image on the specimen. Moreover, we show that, instead of different orientations of 1D gratings, alternative single 2D gratings, e.g. checkerboard or hexagonal patterns, can provide resolution enhancement in multiple directions. Our results show a 35% improvement in the resolution power of the DHM. The presented arrangement has the potential to serve as a table-top device for high resolution holographic microscopy.

Fabrication of digital rainbow holograms and 3-D imaging using SEM based e-beam lithography.

PubMed

Firsov, An; Firsov, A; Loechel, B; Erko, A; Svintsov, A; Zaitsev, S

2014-11-17

Here we present an approach for creating full-color digital rainbow holograms based on mixing three basic colors. Much like in a color TV with three luminescent points per single screen pixel, each color pixel of initial image is presented by three (R, G, B) distinct diffractive gratings in a hologram structure. Change of either duty cycle or area of the gratings are used to provide proper R, G, B intensities. Special algorithms allow one to design rather complicated 3D images (that might even be replacing each other with hologram rotation). The software developed ("RainBow") provides stability of colorization of rotated image by means of equalizing of angular blur from gratings responsible for R, G, B basic colors. The approach based on R, G, B color synthesis allows one to fabricate gray-tone rainbow hologram containing white color what is hardly possible in traditional dot-matrix technology. Budgetary electron beam lithography based on SEM column was used to fabricate practical examples of digital rainbow hologram. The results of fabrication of large rainbow holograms from design to imprinting are presented. Advantages of the EBL in comparison to traditional optical (dot-matrix) technology is considered.

[CII] At 1 < z < 2: Observing Star Formation in the Early Universe with Zeus (1 and 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferkinhoff, Carl; Hailey-Dunsheath, S.; Nikola, T.; Oberst, T.; Parshley, S.; Stacey, G.; Benford, D.; staguhn, J.

2010-01-01

We report the detection of the [CII] 158 micron fine structure line from six submillimeter galaxies with redshifts between 1.12 and 1.73. This more than doubles the total number of [CII] 158 micron detections reported from high redshift sources. These observations were made with the Redshift(z) and Early Universe Spectrometer(ZEUS) at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii between December 2006 and March 2009. ZEUS is a background limited submm echelle grating spectrometer (Hailey-Dunsheath 2009). Currently we are constructing ZEUS-2. This new instrument will utilize the same grating but will feature a two dimensional transition-edge sensed bolometer array with SQUID multiplexing readout system enabling simultaneous background limited observations in the 200, 340,450 and 650 micron telluric windows. ZEUS-2 will allow for long slit imaging spectroscopy in nearby galaxies and a [CII] survey from z 0.25 to 2.5.

Design of a laser scanner for a digital mammography system.

PubMed

Rowlands, J A; Taylor, J E

1996-05-01

We have developed a digital readout system for radiographic images using a scanning laser beam. In this system, electrostatic charge images on amorphous selenium (alpha-Se) plates are read out using photo-induced discharge (PID). We discuss the design requirements of a laser scanner for the PID system and describe its construction from commercially available components. The principles demonstrated can be adapted to a variety of digital imaging systems.

Geiger-Mode Avalanche Photodiode Arrays Integrated to All-Digital CMOS Circuits.

PubMed

Aull, Brian

2016-04-08

This article reviews MIT Lincoln Laboratory's work over the past 20 years to develop photon-sensitive image sensors based on arrays of silicon Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes. Integration of these detectors to all-digital CMOS readout circuits enable exquisitely sensitive solid-state imagers for lidar, wavefront sensing, and passive imaging.

A discrete component low-noise preamplifier readout for a linear (1×16) SiC photodiode array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahle, Duncan; Aslam, Shahid; Herrero, Federico A.; Waczynski, Augustyn

2016-09-01

A compact, low-noise and inexpensive preamplifier circuit has been designed and fabricated to optimally readout a common cathode (1×16) channel 4H-SiC Schottky photodiode array for use in ultraviolet experiments. The readout uses an operational amplifier with 10 pF capacitor in the feedback loop in parallel with a low leakage switch for each of the channels. This circuit configuration allows for reiterative sample, integrate and reset. A sampling technique is given to remove Johnson noise, enabling a femtoampere level readout noise performance. Commercial-off-the-shelf acquisition electronics are used to digitize the preamplifier analog signals. The data logging acquisition electronics has a different integration circuit, which allows the bandwidth and gain to be independently adjusted. Using this readout, photoresponse measurements across the array between spectral wavelengths 200 nm and 370 nm are made to establish the array pixels external quantum efficiency, current responsivity and noise equivalent power.

A Discrete Component Low-Noise Preamplifier Readout for a Linear (1x16) SiC Photodiode Array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahle, Duncan; Aslam, Shahid; Herrero, Frederico A.; Waczynski, Augustyn

2016-01-01

A compact, low-noise and inexpensive preamplifier circuit has been designed and fabricated to optimally readout a common cathode (1x16) channel 4H-SiC Schottky photodiode array for use in ultraviolet experiments. The readout uses an operational amplifier with 10 pF capacitor in the feedback loop in parallel with a low leakage switch for each of the channels. This circuit configuration allows for reiterative sample, integrate and reset. A sampling technique is given to remove Johnson noise, enabling a femtoampere level readout noise performance. Commercial-off-the-shelf acquisition electronics are used to digitize the preamplifier analogue signals. The data logging acquisition electronics has a different integration circuit, which allows the bandwidth and gain to be independently adjusted. Using this readout, photoresponse measurements across the array between spectral wavelengths 200 nm and 370 nm are made to establish the array pixels external quantum efficiency, current responsivity and noise equivalent power.

LSST camera readout chip ASPIC: test tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antilogus, P.; Bailly, Ph; Jeglot, J.; Juramy, C.; Lebbolo, H.; Martin, D.; Moniez, M.; Tocut, V.; Wicek, F.

2012-02-01

The LSST camera will have more than 3000 video-processing channels. The readout of this large focal plane requires a very compact readout chain. The correlated ''Double Sampling technique'', which is generally used for the signal readout of CCDs, is also adopted for this application and implemented with the so called ''Dual Slope integrator'' method. We have designed and implemented an ASIC for LSST: the Analog Signal Processing asIC (ASPIC). The goal is to amplify the signal close to the output, in order to maximize signal to noise ratio, and to send differential outputs to the digitization. Others requirements are that each chip should process the output of half a CCD, that is 8 channels and should operate at 173 K. A specific Back End board has been designed especially for lab test purposes. It manages the clock signals, digitizes the analog differentials outputs of ASPIC and stores data into a memory. It contains 8 ADCs (18 bits), 512 kwords memory and an USB interface. An FPGA manages all signals from/to all components on board and generates the timing sequence for ASPIC. Its firmware is written in Verilog and VHDL languages. Internals registers permit to define various tests parameters of the ASPIC. A Labview GUI allows to load or update these registers and to check a proper operation. Several series of tests, including linearity, noise and crosstalk, have been performed over the past year to characterize the ASPIC at room and cold temperature. At present, the ASPIC, Back-End board and CCD detectors are being integrated to perform a characterization of the whole readout chain.

Reconfigurable terahertz grating with enhanced transmission of TE polarized light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, J. W.; Wang, X. K.; Xie, Z. W.; Xue, Y. Z.; Wang, S.; Zhang, Y.

2017-07-01

We demonstrate an optically reconfigurable grating with enhanced transmission of TE-polarized waves in the terahertz (THz) waveband. This kind of grating is realized by projecting a grating image onto a thin Si wafer with a digital micromirror device (DMD). The enhanced transmission is caused by a resonance of the electromagnetic fields between the photoexcited strips. The position of the transmission peak shifts with the variation of the period and duty cycle of the photoinduced grating, which can be readily controlled by the DMD. Furthermore, a flattened Gaussian model was applied to describe the distribution of the photoexcited free carriers in the Si wafer, and the simulated transmittance spectra are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results. In future, the photoexcited carriers could also be used to produce THz diffractive elements with reconfigurable functionality.

High Angular Sensitivity, Absolute Rotary Encoding Device with Polygonal Mirror and Stand-Alone Diffraction Gratings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

A device for position encoding of a rotating shaft in which a polygonal mirror having a number of facets is mounted to the shaft and a monochromatic light beam is directed towards the facets. The facets of the polygonal mirror direct the light beam to a stand-alone low line density diffraction grating to diffract the monochromatic light beam into a number of diffracted light beams such that a number of light spots are created on a linear array detector. An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the linear array detector for reading the position of the spots on the linear array detector means. A microprocessor with memory is connected to the analog-to-digital converter to hold and manipulate the data provided by the analog-to-digital converter on the position of the spots and to compute the position of the shaft based upon the data from the analog-lo-digital converter.

Design and status of the detector block for the ISO-SWS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luinge, W.; Beintema, D. A.; Haser, L.; Katterloher, R.; Ploeger, G.

1989-01-01

The Short Wave Spectrometer (SWS) is one of the two spectrometers for the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). It consists of a pair of grating spectrometers and a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Together, the grating spectrometers cover the wavelength range 2.4 to 45 microns, at a resolution between 1000 and 2000. The Fabry-Perot interferometer, in series with one of the grating spectrometers, provides a resolution of about 20,000 at the wavelengths between 15 and 35 microns. The SWS is being built by the Space Research Organization of the Netherlands and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany. The spectrometer has 52 discrete detectors, most of which are bulk detectors. In the design of the spectrometer, the main emphasis is on the sensitivity of the individual channels, rather than on the number of detectors. This was one of the main reasons to select non-destructive read-out circuits, with a separate heated-JFET pre-amplifier for each individual detector. The signals are amplified and filtered in parallel. The engineering tests on the SWS detector block have not yet been completed. The design of the detector block is described and the present problem areas are indicated.

Validation of a highly integrated SiPM readout system with a TOF-PET demonstrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niknejad, T.; Setayeshi, S.; Tavernier, S.; Bugalho, R.; Ferramacho, L.; Di Francesco, A.; Leong, C.; Rolo, M. D.; Shamshirsaz, M.; Silva, J. C.; Silva, R.; Silveira, M.; Zorraquino, C.; Varela, J.

2016-12-01

We have developed a highly integrated, fast and compact readout electronics for Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) based Time of Flight Positron Emission Tomography (TOF-PET) scanners. The readout is based on the use of TOP-PET Application Specific Integrated Circuit (PETsys TOFPET1 ASIC) with 64 channels, each with its amplifier, discriminator, Time to Digital Converter (TDC) and amplitude determination using Time Over Threshold (TOT). The ASIC has 25 ps r.m.s. intrinsic time resolution and fully digital output. The system is optimised for high rates, good timing, low power consumption and low cost. For validating the readout electronics, we have built a technical PET scanner, hereafter called ``demonstrator'', with 2'048 SiPM channels. The PET demonstrator has 16 compact Detector Modules (DM). Each DM has two ASICs reading 128 SiPM pixels in one-to-one coupling to 128 Lutetium Yttrium Orthosilicate (LYSO) crystals measuring 3.1 × 3.1 × 15 mm3 each. The data acquisition system for the demonstrator has two Front End Boards type D (FEB/D), each collecting the data of 1'024 channels (8 DMs), and transmitting assembled data frames through a serial link (4.8 Gbps), to a single Data Acquisition (DAQ) board plugged into the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus of the data acquisition PC. Results obtained with this PET demonstrator are presented.

Skeletal status and soft tissue composition in astronauts. Tissue and fluid changes by radionuclide absorptiometry in vivo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, J. R.; Mazess, R. B.; Wilson, C. R.

1973-01-01

A device has been constructed and tested which provides immediate readout of bone mineral content and bone width from absorptiometric scans with low energy radionuclides. The basis of this analog system is a logarithmic converter-integrator coupled with a precision linear ratemeter. The system provided accurate and reliable results on standards and ashed bone sections. Clinical measurements were made on about 100 patients with the direct readout system, and these were highly correlated with the results from digital scan data on the same patients. The direct readout system has been used successfully in field studies and surveys as well as for clinical observations.

Low-power priority Address-Encoder and Reset-Decoder data-driven readout for Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors for tracker system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, P.; Aglieri, G.; Cavicchioli, C.; Chalmet, P. L.; Chanlek, N.; Collu, A.; Gao, C.; Hillemanns, H.; Junique, A.; Kofarago, M.; Keil, M.; Kugathasan, T.; Kim, D.; Kim, J.; Lattuca, A.; Marin Tobon, C. A.; Marras, D.; Mager, M.; Martinengo, P.; Mazza, G.; Mugnier, H.; Musa, L.; Puggioni, C.; Rousset, J.; Reidt, F.; Riedler, P.; Snoeys, W.; Siddhanta, S.; Usai, G.; van Hoorne, J. W.; Yi, J.

2015-06-01

Active Pixel Sensors used in High Energy Particle Physics require low power consumption to reduce the detector material budget, low integration time to reduce the possibilities of pile-up and fast readout to improve the detector data capability. To satisfy these requirements, a novel Address-Encoder and Reset-Decoder (AERD) asynchronous circuit for a fast readout of a pixel matrix has been developed. The AERD data-driven readout architecture operates the address encoding and reset decoding based on an arbitration tree, and allows us to readout only the hit pixels. Compared to the traditional readout structure of the rolling shutter scheme in Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS), AERD can achieve a low readout time and a low power consumption especially for low hit occupancies. The readout is controlled at the chip periphery with a signal synchronous with the clock, allows a good digital and analogue signal separation in the matrix and a reduction of the power consumption. The AERD circuit has been implemented in the TowerJazz 180 nm CMOS Imaging Sensor (CIS) process with full complementary CMOS logic in the pixel. It works at 10 MHz with a matrix height of 15 mm. The energy consumed to read out one pixel is around 72 pJ. A scheme to boost the readout speed to 40 MHz is also discussed. The sensor chip equipped with AERD has been produced and characterised. Test results including electrical beam measurement are presented.

MICROROC: MICRO-mesh gaseous structure Read-Out Chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adloff, C.; Blaha, J.; Chefdeville, M.; Dalmaz, A.; Drancourt, C.; Dulucq, F.; Espargilière, A.; Gaglione, R.; Geffroy, N.; Jacquemier, J.; Karyotakis, Y.; Martin-Chassard, G.; Prast, J.; Seguin-Moreau, N.; de La Taille, Ch; Vouters, G.

2012-01-01

MICRO MEsh GAseous Structure (MICROMEGAS) and Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) detectors are two candidates for the active medium of a Digital Hadronic CALorimeter (DHCAL) as part of a high energy physics experiment at a future linear collider (ILC/CLIC). Physics requirements lead to a highly granular hadronic calorimeter with up to thirty million channels with probably only hit information (digital readout calorimeter). To validate the concept of digital hadronic calorimetry with such small cell size, the construction and test of a cubic meter technological prototype, made of 40 planes of one square meter each, is necessary. This technological prototype would contain about 400 000 electronic channels, thus requiring the development of front-end ASIC. Based on the experience gained with previous ASIC that were mounted on detectors and tested in particle beams, a new ASIC called MICROROC has been developped. This paper summarizes the caracterisation campaign that was conducted on this new chip as well as its integration into a large area Micromegas chamber of one square meter.

A direct reading exposure monitor for radiation processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kantz, A. D.; Humpherys, K. C.

Various plastic films have been utilized to measure radiation fields. In general such films are rugged, easily handled, small enough to cause neligible perturbation on the radiation fields, and relatively inexpensive. The radiachromic materials have been shown to have advantages over other plastic fabrications in stability, reproducibility, equivalent response to electron and gamma ray processing fields, dose rate independence, and ready availability of calibration standards. Using a nylon matrix radiachromic detector, a system of direct read-out of absorbed dose has been developed to facilitate monitoring in the megarad region. When an exposed detector is inserted into the reader, the optical transmission signal is processed through an analog to digital converter. The digitized signal addresses a memory bank where the standard response curve is stored. The corresponding absorbed dose is displayed on a digital panel meter. The variation of relative sensitivity of detectors, the background of unirradiated detectors, environmental parameters, and the capacity of the memory bank are contributing factors to the total precision of the read-out system.

A Radiation Hardened by Design CMOS ASIC for Thermopile Readouts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quilligan, G.; Aslam, S.; DuMonthier, J.

2012-01-01

A radiation hardened by design (RHBD) mixed-signal application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) has been designed for a thermopile readout for operation in the harsh Jovian orbital environment. The multi-channel digitizer (MCD) ASIC includes 18 low noise amplifier channels which have tunable gain/filtering coefficients, a 16-bit sigma-delta analog-digital converter (SDADC) and an on-chip controller. The 18 channels, SDADC and controller were designed to operate with immunity to single event latchup (SEL) and to at least 10 Mrad total ionizing dose (TID). The ASIC also contains a radiation tolerant 16-bit 20 MHz Nyquist ADC for general purpose instrumentation digitizer needs. The ASIC is currently undergoing fabrication in a commercial 180 nm CMOS process. Although this ASIC was designed specifically for the harsh radiation environment of the NASA led JEO mission it is suitable for integration into instrumentation payloads 011 the ESA JUICE mission where the radiation hardness requirements are slightly less stringent.

MODIFICATIONS OF THE RAND REAC,

DTIC Science & Technology

The major items of the modification program were the installation of a removable plugboard of the type used on the International Business Machines punched card tabulators, and a digital readout device.

A versatile localization system for microscopic multiparametric analysis of cells.

PubMed

Thaw, H H; Rundquist, I; Johansson, U; Svensson, I; Collins, V P

1983-03-01

A new, simple and relatively inexpensive electronic digital position readout (DPRO) system which can be applied to the rapid localization and recovery of microscopic material is described. It is based upon a commercially available digital position readout system which is routinely utilized by industry for small machine tools and measuring equipment. This has been mounted onto the stage of various microscopic instrumentation to provide X and Y coordinates relative to an arbitrary reference point. The integration of small computers interfaced to scanning interferometric, microdensitometric and fluorescence microscopes were used to demonstrate the reliability, versatility and ease of application of this system to problems of multiparametric measurements and analysis of cultured cells. The system may be expanded and applied to clinical material to obtain automatized, multiparametric measurements of cells in haematology and clinical cytology.

Research and design on orthogonal diffraction grating-based 3D nanometer displacement sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Baoshuai; Yuan, Yibao; Yin, Zhehao

2017-10-01

This study concerns an orthogonal diffraction grating-based nanometer displacement sensor. In this study, we performed calculation of displacements in the XYZ directions. In the optical measured path part, we used a two-dimensional orthogonal motion grating and a two-dimensional orthogonal reference grating with the pitch of 0.5um to measure the displacement of XYZ in three directions by detecting ±1st diffraction fringes. The self-collimated structure of the grating greatly extended the Z-axis range. We also simulated the optical path of the sensor with ZEMAX software and verified the feasibility of the scheme. For signal subdivision and processing, we combined large number counting (completed grating line) with small number counting (digital subdivision), realizing high multiples of subdivision of grating interference signals. We used PC to process the interference fringes and greatly improved the processing speed. In the scheme, the theoretical multiples of subdivision could reach 1024 with 10-bit AD conversion, but the actual multiples of subdivision was limited by the quality of the grating interference signals. So we introduced an orthogonal compensation circuit and a filter circuit to improve the signal quality.

Radial super-resolution in digital holographic microscopy using structured illumination with circular symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Yujian; Su, Ping; Ma, Jianshe

2018-01-01

A method to improve the radial resolution using special structured light is proposed in the field of digital holographic microscopy (DHM). A specimen is illuminated with circular symmetrical structured light that makes the spectrum have radial movement, so that high frequency components of the specimen are moved into the passband of the receiver to overcome the diffraction limit. In the DHM imaging system, Computer Generated Hologram (CGH) technology is used to generate the required structured light grating. Then the grating is loaded into a spatial light modulator (SLM) to obtain specific structured illumination. After recording the hologram, digital reconstruction, for the microstructure of a binary optical element that needs to observe radial distribution, the radial resolution of the specimen is improved experimentally compare it with the result of one-dimensional sinusoidal structured light imaging. And a method of designing structured light is presented.

Photographic and photometric enhancement of Lunar Orbiter products, projects A, B and C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A detailed discussion is presented of the framelet joining, photometric data improvement, and statistical error analysis. The Lunar Orbiter film handling system, readout system, and the digitization are described, along with the technique of joining adjacent framelets by a using a digital computer. Time and cost estimates are given. The problems and techniques involved in improving the digitized data are discussed. It was found that spectacular improvements are possible. Program documentations are included.

Fast Readout Architectures for Large Arrays of Digital Pixels: Examples and Applications

PubMed Central

Gabrielli, A.

2014-01-01

Modern pixel detectors, particularly those designed and constructed for applications and experiments for high-energy physics, are commonly built implementing general readout architectures, not specifically optimized in terms of speed. High-energy physics experiments use bidimensional matrices of sensitive elements located on a silicon die. Sensors are read out via other integrated circuits bump bonded over the sensor dies. The speed of the readout electronics can significantly increase the overall performance of the system, and so here novel forms of readout architectures are studied and described. These circuits have been investigated in terms of speed and are particularly suited for large monolithic, low-pitch pixel detectors. The idea is to have a small simple structure that may be expanded to fit large matrices without affecting the layout complexity of the chip, while maintaining a reasonably high readout speed. The solutions might be applied to devices for applications not only in physics but also to general-purpose pixel detectors whenever online fast data sparsification is required. The paper presents also simulations on the efficiencies of the systems as proof of concept for the proposed ideas. PMID:24778588

The Phase-2 electronics upgrade of the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vachon, B.

2018-03-01

The LHC high-luminosity upgrade in 2024-2026 requires the associated detectors to operate at luminosities about 5-7 times larger than assumed in their original design. The pile-up is expected to increase to up to 200 events per proton bunch-crossing. The current readout of the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeters does not provide sufficient buffering and bandwidth capabilities to accommodate the hardware triggers requirements imposed by these harsh conditions. Furthermore, the expected total radiation doses are beyond the qualification range of the current front-end electronics. For these reasons an almost complete replacement of the front-end and off-detector readout system is foreseen for the 182,468 readout channels. The new readout system will be based on a free-running architecture, where calorimeter signals are amplified, shaped and digitized by on-detector electronics, then sent at 40 MHz to the off-detector electronics for further processing. Results from the design studies on the performance of the components of the readout system are presented, as well as the results of the tests of the first prototypes.

The re-flight of the Colorado high-resolution Echelle stellar spectrograph (CHESS): improvements, calibrations, and post-flight results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoadley, Keri; France, Kevin; Kruczek, Nicholas; Fleming, Brian; Nell, Nicholas; Kane, Robert; Swanson, Jack; Green, James; Erickson, Nicholas; Wilson, Jacob

2016-07-01

In this proceeding, we describe the scientific motivation and technical development of the Colorado High- resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph (CHESS), focusing on the hardware advancements and testing supporting the second flight of the payload (CHESS-2). CHESS is a far ultraviolet (FUV) rocket-borne instrument designed to study the atomic-to-molecular transitions within translucent cloud regions in the interstellar medium (ISM). CHESS is an objective f/12.4 echelle spectrograph with resolving power > 100,000 over the band pass 1000 - 1600 Å. The spectrograph was designed to employ an R2 echelle grating with "low" line density. We compare the FUV performance of experimental echelle etching processes (lithographically by LightSmyth, Inc. and etching via electron-beam technology by JPL Microdevices Laboratory) with traditional, mechanically-ruled gratings (Bach Research, Inc. and Richardson Gratings). The cross-dispersing grating, developed and ruled by Horiba Jobin-Yvon, is a holographically-ruled, "low" line density, powered optic with a toroidal surface curvature. Both gratings were coated with aluminum and lithium fluoride (Al+LiF) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Results from final efficiency and reflectivity measurements for the optical components of CHESS-2 are presented. CHESS-2 utilizes a 40mm-diameter cross-strip anode readout microchannel plate (MCP) detector fabricated by Sensor Sciences, Inc., to achieve high spatial resolution with high count rate capabilities (global rates 1 MHz). We present pre-flight laboratory spectra and calibration results. CHESS-2 launched on 21 February 2016 aboard NASA/CU sounding rocket mission 36.297 UG. We observed the intervening ISM material along the sightline to epsilon Per and present initial characterization of the column densities, temperature, and kinematics of atomic and molecular species in the observation.

Energy and Timing Measurement with Time-Based Detector Readout for PET Applications: Principle and Validation with Discrete Circuit Components

PubMed Central

Sun, Xishan; Lan, Allan K.; Bircher, Chad; Deng, Zhi; Liu, Yinong; Shao, Yiping

2011-01-01

A new signal processing method for PET application has been developed, with discrete circuit components to measure energy and timing of a gamma interaction based solely on digital timing processing without using an amplitude-to-digital convertor (ADC) or a constant fraction discriminator (CFD). A single channel discrete component time-based readout (TBR) circuit was implemented in a PC board. Initial circuit functionality and performance evaluations have been conducted. Accuracy and linearity of signal amplitude measurement were excellent, as measured with test pulses. The measured timing accuracy from test pulses reached to less than 300 ps, a value limited mainly by the timing jitter of the prototype electronics circuit. Both suitable energy and coincidence timing resolutions (~18% and ~1.0 ns) have been achieved with 3 × 3 × 20 mm3 LYSO scintillator and photomultiplier tube-based detectors. With its relatively simple circuit and low cost, TBR is expected to be a suitable front-end signal readout electronics for compact PET or other radiation detectors requiring the reading of a large number of detector channels and demanding high performance for energy and timing measurement. PMID:21743761

Holographic memory system based on projection recording of computer-generated 1D Fourier holograms.

PubMed

Betin, A Yu; Bobrinev, V I; Donchenko, S S; Odinokov, S B; Evtikhiev, N N; Starikov, R S; Starikov, S N; Zlokazov, E Yu

2014-10-01

Utilization of computer generation of holographic structures significantly simplifies the optical scheme that is used to record the microholograms in a holographic memory record system. Also digital holographic synthesis allows to account the nonlinear errors of the record system to improve the microholograms quality. The multiplexed record of holograms is a widespread technique to increase the data record density. In this article we represent the holographic memory system based on digital synthesis of amplitude one-dimensional (1D) Fourier transform holograms and the multiplexed record of these holograms onto the holographic carrier using optical projection scheme. 1D Fourier transform holograms are very sensitive to orientation of the anamorphic optical element (cylindrical lens) that is required for encoded data object reconstruction. The multiplex record of several holograms with different orientation in an optical projection scheme allowed reconstruction of the data object from each hologram by rotating the cylindrical lens on the corresponding angle. Also, we discuss two optical schemes for the recorded holograms readout: a full-page readout system and line-by-line readout system. We consider the benefits of both systems and present the results of experimental modeling of 1D Fourier holograms nonmultiplex and multiplex record and reconstruction.

A UVM simulation environment for the study, optimization and verification of HL-LHC digital pixel readout chips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marconi, S.; Conti, E.; Christiansen, J.; Placidi, P.

2018-05-01

The operating conditions of the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider are very demanding for the design of next generation hybrid pixel readout chips in terms of particle rate, radiation level and data bandwidth. To this purpose, the RD53 Collaboration has developed for the ATLAS and CMS experiments a dedicated simulation and verification environment using industry-consolidated tools and methodologies, such as SystemVerilog and the Universal Verification Methodology (UVM). This paper presents how the so-called VEPIX53 environment has first guided the design of digital architectures, optimized for processing and buffering very high particle rates, and secondly how it has been reused for the functional verification of the first large scale demonstrator chip designed by the collaboration, which has recently been submitted.

Digital readout for image converter cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honour, Joseph

1991-04-01

There is an increasing need for fast and reliable analysis of recorded sequences from image converter cameras so that experimental information can be readily evaluated without recourse to more time consuming photographic procedures. A digital readout system has been developed using a randomly triggerable high resolution CCD camera, the output of which is suitable for use with IBM AT compatible PC. Within half a second from receipt of trigger pulse, the frame reformatter displays the image and transfer to storage media can be readily achieved via the PC and dedicated software. Two software programmes offer different levels of image manipulation which includes enhancement routines and parameter calculations with accuracy down to pixel levels. Hard copy prints can be acquired using a specially adapted Polaroid printer, outputs for laser and video printer extend the overall versatility of the system.

Active pixel sensor having intra-pixel charge transfer with analog-to-digital converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossum, Eric R. (Inventor); Mendis, Sunetra K. (Inventor); Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor); Nixon, Robert H. (Inventor); Zhou, Zhimin (Inventor)

2003-01-01

An imaging device formed as a monolithic complementary metal oxide semiconductor integrated circuit in an industry standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor process, the integrated circuit including a focal plane array of pixel cells, each one of the cells including a photogate overlying the substrate for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion of the substrate, a readout circuit including at least an output field effect transistor formed in the substrate, and a charge coupled device section formed on the substrate adjacent the photogate having a sensing node connected to the output transistor and at least one charge coupled device stage for transferring charge from the underlying portion of the substrate to the sensing node and an analog-to-digital converter formed in the substrate connected to the output of the readout circuit.

Active pixel sensor having intra-pixel charge transfer with analog-to-digital converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossum, Eric R. (Inventor); Mendis, Sunetra K. (Inventor); Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor); Nixon, Robert H. (Inventor); Zhou, Zhimin (Inventor)

2000-01-01

An imaging device formed as a monolithic complementary metal oxide semiconductor Integrated circuit in an industry standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor process, the integrated circuit including a focal plane array of pixel cells, each one of the cells including a photogate overlying the substrate for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion of the substrate, a readout circuit including at least an output field effect transistor formed in the substrate, and a charge coupled device section formed on the substrate adjacent the photogate having a sensing node connected to the output transistor and at least one charge coupled device stage for transferring charge from the underlying portion of the substrate to the sensing node and an analog-to-digital converter formed in the substrate connected to the output of the readout circuit.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, W.; Yin, J.; Li, C.

This paper presents a novel front-end electronics based on a front-end ASIC with post digital filtering and calibration dedicated to CZT detectors for PET imaging. A cascade amplifier based on split-leg topology is selected to realize the charge-sensitive amplifier (CSA) for the sake of low noise performances and the simple scheme of the power supplies. The output of the CSA is connected to a variable-gain amplifier to generate the compatible signals for the A/D conversion. A multi-channel single-slope ADC is designed to sample multiple points for the digital filtering and shaping. The digital signal processing algorithms are implemented by amore » FPGA. To verify the proposed scheme, a front-end readout prototype ASIC is designed and implemented in 0.35 μm CMOS process. In a single readout channel, a CSA, a VGA, a 10-bit ADC and registers are integrated. Two dummy channels, bias circuits, and time controller are also integrated. The die size is 2.0 mm x 2.1 mm. The input range of the ASIC is from 2000 e{sup -} to 100000 e{sup -}, which is suitable for the detection of the X-and gamma ray from 11.2 keV to 550 keV. The linearity of the output voltage is less than 1 %. The gain of the readout channel is 40.2 V/pC. The static power dissipation is about 10 mW/channel. The above tested results show that the electrical performances of the ASIC can well satisfy PET imaging applications. (authors)« less

The use of low resistivity substrates for optimal noise reduction, ground referencing, and current conduction in mixed signal ASICs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zimmerman, T.

1997-12-01

This paper is distilled from a talk given at the 3rd International Meeting on Front End Electronics in Taos, N.M. on Nov. 7,1997. It is based on experience gained by designing and testing the SVX3 128 channel silicon strip detector readout chip. The SVX3 chip organization is shown in Fig. 1. The Front End section consists of an integrator and analog pipeline designed at Fermilab, and the Back End section is an ADC plus sparsification and readout logic designed at LBL. SVX3 is a deadtimeless readout chip, which means that the front end is acquiring low level analog signals whilemore » the back end is digitizing and reading out digital signals. It is thus a true mixed signal chip, and demands close attention to avoid disastrous coupling from the digital to the analog sections. SVX3 is designed in a bulk CMOS process (i.e., the circuits sit in a silicon substrate). In such a process, the substrate becomes a potential coupling path. This paper discusses the effect of the substrate resistivity on coupling, and also goes into a more general discussion of grounding and referencing in mixed signal designs and how low resistivity substrates can be used to advantage. Finally, an alternative power supply current conduction method for ASICs is presented as an additional advantage which can be obtained with low resistivity substrates. 1 ref., 13 figs., 1 tab.« less

Single chip lidar with discrete beam steering by digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Smith, Braden; Hellman, Brandon; Gin, Adley; Espinoza, Alonzo; Takashima, Yuzuru

2017-06-26

A novel method of beam steering enables a large field of view and reliable single chip light detection and ranging (lidar) by utilizing a mass-produced digital micromirror device (DMD). Using a short pulsed laser, the micromirrors' rotation is frozen in mid-transition, which forms a programmable blazed grating. The blazed grating efficiently redistributes the light to a single diffraction order, among several. We demonstrated time of flight measurements for five discrete angles using this beam steering method with a nano second 905nm laser and Si avalanche diode. A distance accuracy of < 1 cm over a 1 m distance range, a 48° full field of view, and a measurement rate of 3.34k points/s is demonstrated.

Diffraction of digital micromirror device gratings and its effect on properties of tunable fiber lasers.

PubMed

Chen, Xiao; Yan, Bin-bin; Song, Fei-jun; Wang, Yi-quan; Xiao, Feng; Alameh, Kamal

2012-10-20

A digital micromirror device (DMD) is a kind of widely used spatial light modulator. We apply DMD as wavelength selector in tunable fiber lasers. Based on the two-dimensional diffraction theory, the diffraction of DMD and its effect on properties of fiber laser parameters are analyzed in detail. The theoretical results show that the diffraction efficiency is strongly dependent upon the angle of incident light and the pixel spacing of DMD. Compared with the other models of DMDs, the 0.55 in. DMD grating is an approximate blazed state in our configuration, which makes most of the diffracted radiation concentrated into one order. It is therefore a better choice to improve the stability and reliability of tunable fiber laser systems.

Acquisition and replay systems for direct-to-digital holography and holovision

DOEpatents

Thomas, Clarence E.; Hanson, Gregory R.

2003-02-25

Improvements to the acquisition and replay systems for direct-to-digital holography and holovision are described. A method of recording an off-axis hologram includes: splitting a laser beam into an object beam and a reference beam; reflecting the reference beam from a reference beam mirror; reflecting the object beam from an illumination beamsplitter; passing the object beam through an objective lens; reflecting the object beam from an object; focusing the reference beam and the object beam at a focal plane of a digital recorder to form an off-axis hologram; digitally recording the off-axis hologram; and transforming the off-axis hologram in accordance with a Fourier transform to obtain a set of results. A method of writing an off-axis hologram includes: passing a laser beam through a spatial light modulator; and focusing the laser beam at a focal plane of a photorefractive crystal to impose a holographic diffraction grating pattern on the photorefractive crystal. A method of replaying an off-axis hologram includes: illuminating a photorefractive crystal having a holographic diffraction grating with a replay beam.

Cryogenic readout techniques for germanium detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benato, G.; Cattadori, C.; Di Vacri, A.

High Purity Germanium detectors are used in many applications, from nuclear and astro-particle physics, to homeland security or environment protection. Although quite standard configurations are often used, with cryostats, charge sensitive amplifiers and analog or digital acquisition systems all commercially available, it might be the case that a few specific applications, e.g. satellites, portable devices, cryogenic physics experiments, etc. also require the development of a few additional or complementary techniques. An interesting case is for sure GERDA, the Germanium Detector Array experiment, searching for neutrino-less double beta decay of {sup 76}Ge at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of INFN -more » Italy. In GERDA the entire detector array, composed of semi-coaxial and BEGe naked crystals, is operated suspended inside a cryostat filled with liquid argon, that acts not only as cooling medium and but also as an active shield, thanks to its scintillation properties. These peculiar circumstances, together with the additional requirement of a very low radioactive background from all the materials adjacent to the detectors, clearly introduce significant constraints on the design of the Ge front-end readout electronics. All the Ge readout solutions developed within the framework of the GERDA collaboration, for both Phase I and Phase II, will be briefly reviewed, with their relative strength and weakness compared together and with respect to ideal Ge readout. Finally, the digital processing techniques developed by the GERDA collaboration for energy estimation of Ge detector signals will be recalled. (authors)« less

Large-area full field x-ray differential phase-contrast imaging using 2D tiled gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröter, Tobias J.; Koch, Frieder J.; Kunka, Danays; Meyer, Pascal; Tietze, Sabrina; Engelhardt, Sabine; Zuber, Marcus; Baumbach, Tilo; Willer, Konstantin; Birnbacher, Lorenz; Prade, Friedrich; Pfeiffer, Franz; Reichert, Klaus-Martin; Hofmann, Andreas; Mohr, Jürgen

2017-06-01

Grating-based x-ray differential phase-contrast imaging (DPCI) is capable of acquiring information based on phase-shift and dark-field signal, in addition to conventional x-ray absorption-contrast. Thus DPCI gives an advantage to investigate composite materials with component wise similar absorption properties like soft tissues. Due to technological challenges in fabricating high quality gratings over a large extent, the field of view (FoV) of the imaging systems is limited to a grating area of a couple of square centimeters. For many imaging applications (e.g. in medicine), however, a FoV that ranges over several ten centimeters is needed. In this manuscript we propose to create large area gratings of theoretically any extent by assembling a number of individual grating tiles. We discuss the precision needed for alignment of each microstructure tile in order to reduce image artifacts and to preserve minimum 90% of the sensitivity obtainable with a monolithic grating. To achieve a reliable high precision alignment a semiautomatic assembly system consisting of a laser autocollimator, a digital microscope and a force sensor together with positioning devices was built. The setup was used to tile a first four times four analyzer grating with a size of 200 mm  ×  200 mm together with a two times two phase grating. First imaging results prove the applicability and quality of the tiling concept.

ZEUS-2: a second generation submillimeter grating spectrometer for exploring distant galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferkinhoff, Carl; Nikola, Thomas; Parshley, Stephen C.; Stacey, Gordon J.; Irwin, Kent D.; Cho, Hsiao-Mei; Halpern, Mark

2010-07-01

ZEUS-2, the second generation (z)Redshift and Early Universe Spectrometer, like its predecessor is a moderate resolution (R~1000) long-slit, echelle grating spectrometer optimized for the detection of faint, broad lines from distant galaxies. It is designed for studying star-formation across cosmic time. ZEUS-2 employs three TES bolometer arrays (555 pixels total) to deliver simultaneous, multi-beam spectra in up to 4 submillimeter windows. The NIST Boulder-built arrays operate at ~100mK and are readout via SQUID multiplexers and the Multi-Channel Electronics from the University of British Columbia. The instrument is cooled via a pulse-tube cooler and two-stage ADR. Various filter configurations give ZEUS-2 access to 7 different telluric windows from 200 to 850 micron enabling the simultaneous mapping of lines from extended sources or the simultaneous detection of the 158 micron [CII] line and the [NII] 122 or 205 micron lines from z = 1-2 galaxies. ZEUS-2 is designed for use on the CSO, APEX and possibly JCMT.

Detection of unamplified genomic DNA by a PNA-based microstructured optical fiber (MOF) Bragg-grating optofluidic system.

PubMed

Bertucci, Alessandro; Manicardi, Alex; Candiani, Alessandro; Giannetti, Sara; Cucinotta, Annamaria; Spoto, Giuseppe; Konstantaki, Maria; Pissadakis, Stavros; Selleri, Stefano; Corradini, Roberto

2015-01-15

Microstructured optical fibers containing microchannels and Bragg grating inscribed were internally functionalized with a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe specific for a gene tract of the genetically modified Roundup Ready soy. These fibers were used as an optofluidic device for the detection of DNA by measuring the shift in the wavelength of the reflected IR light. Enhancement of optical read-out was obtained using streptavidin coated gold-nanoparticles interacting with the genomic DNA captured in the fiber channels (0%, 0.1%, 1% and 10% RR-Soy), enabling to achieve statistically significant, label-free, and amplification-free detection of target DNA in low concentrations, low percentages, and very low sample volumes. Computer simulations of the fiber optics based on the finite element method (FEM) were consistent with the formation of a layer of organic material with an average thickness of 39 nm for the highest percentage (10% RR soy) analysed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental teaching and training system based on volume holographic storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhuqing; Wang, Zhe; Sun, Chan; Cui, Yutong; Wan, Yuhong; Zou, Rufei

2017-08-01

The experiment of volume holographic storage for teaching and training the practical ability of senior students in Applied Physics is introduced. The students can learn to use advanced optoelectronic devices and the automatic control means via this experiment, and further understand the theoretical knowledge of optical information processing and photonics disciplines that have been studied in some courses. In the experiment, multiplexing holographic recording and readout is based on Bragg selectivity of volume holographic grating, in which Bragg diffraction angle is dependent on grating-recording angel. By using different interference angle between reference and object beams, the holograms can be recorded into photorefractive crystal, and then the object images can be read out from these holograms via angular addressing by using the original reference beam. In this system, the experimental data acquisition and the control of the optoelectronic devices, such as the shutter on-off, image loaded in SLM and image acquisition of a CCD sensor, are automatically realized by using LabVIEW programming.

Towards fully analog hardware reservoir computing for speech recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smerieri, Anteo; Duport, François; Paquot, Yvan; Haelterman, Marc; Schrauwen, Benjamin; Massar, Serge

2012-09-01

Reservoir computing is a very recent, neural network inspired unconventional computation technique, where a recurrent nonlinear system is used in conjunction with a linear readout to perform complex calculations, leveraging its inherent internal dynamics. In this paper we show the operation of an optoelectronic reservoir computer in which both the nonlinear recurrent part and the readout layer are implemented in hardware for a speech recognition application. The performance obtained is close to the one of to state-of-the-art digital reservoirs, while the analog architecture opens the way to ultrafast computation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fahim, Farah; Deptuch, Grzegorz; Shenai, Alpana

The Vertically Integrated Photon Imaging Chip - Large, (VIPIC-L), is a large area, small pixel (65μm), 3D integrated, photon counting ASIC with zero-suppressed or full frame dead-time-less data readout. It features data throughput of 14.4 Gbps per chip with a full frame readout speed of 56kframes/s in the imaging mode. VIPIC-L contain 192 x 192 pixel array and the total size of the chip is 1.248cm x 1.248cm with only a 5μm periphery. It contains about 120M transistors. A 1.3M pixel camera module will be developed by arranging a 6 x 6 array of 3D VIPIC-L’s bonded to a largemore » area silicon sensor on the analog side and to a readout board on the digital side. The readout board hosts a bank of FPGA’s, one per VIPIC-L to allow processing of up to 0.7 Tbps of raw data produced by the camera.« less

Sensor readout detector circuit

DOEpatents

Chu, Dahlon D.; Thelen, Jr., Donald C.

1998-01-01

A sensor readout detector circuit is disclosed that is capable of detecting sensor signals down to a few nanoamperes or less in a high (microampere) background noise level. The circuit operates at a very low standby power level and is triggerable by a sensor event signal that is above a predetermined threshold level. A plurality of sensor readout detector circuits can be formed on a substrate as an integrated circuit (IC). These circuits can operate to process data from an array of sensors in parallel, with only data from active sensors being processed for digitization and analysis. This allows the IC to operate at a low power level with a high data throughput for the active sensors. The circuit may be used with many different types of sensors, including photodetectors, capacitance sensors, chemically-sensitive sensors or combinations thereof to provide a capability for recording transient events or for recording data for a predetermined period of time following an event trigger. The sensor readout detector circuit has applications for portable or satellite-based sensor systems.

Sensor readout detector circuit

DOEpatents

Chu, D.D.; Thelen, D.C. Jr.

1998-08-11

A sensor readout detector circuit is disclosed that is capable of detecting sensor signals down to a few nanoamperes or less in a high (microampere) background noise level. The circuit operates at a very low standby power level and is triggerable by a sensor event signal that is above a predetermined threshold level. A plurality of sensor readout detector circuits can be formed on a substrate as an integrated circuit (IC). These circuits can operate to process data from an array of sensors in parallel, with only data from active sensors being processed for digitization and analysis. This allows the IC to operate at a low power level with a high data throughput for the active sensors. The circuit may be used with many different types of sensors, including photodetectors, capacitance sensors, chemically-sensitive sensors or combinations thereof to provide a capability for recording transient events or for recording data for a predetermined period of time following an event trigger. The sensor readout detector circuit has applications for portable or satellite-based sensor systems. 6 figs.

Enhancements to a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) Multiplexer Readout and Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forgione, J.; Benford, D. J.; Buchanan, E. D.; Moseley, S. H.; Rebar, J.; Shafer, R. A.

2004-01-01

Far-infrared detector arrays such as the 16x32 superconducting bolometer array for the SAFIRE instrument (flying on the SOFIA airborne observatory) require systems of readout and control electronics to provide translation between a user-driven, digital PC and the cold, analog world of the cryogenic detector. In 2001, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed their Mark III electronics for purposes of control and readout of their 1x32 SQUID Multiplexer chips. We at NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center acquired a Mark 111 system and subsequently designed upgrades to suit our and our collaborators purposes. We developed an arbitrary, programmable multiplexing system that allows the user to cycle through rows in a SQUID array in an infinite number of combinations. We provided hooks in the Mark III system to allow readout of signals from outside the Mark 111 system, such as telescope status information. Finally, we augmented the heart of the system with a new feedback algorithm implementation, flexible diagnostic tools, and informative telemetry.

Enhancements to a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) multiplexer readout and control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forgione, Joshua B.; Benford, Dominic J.; Buchanan, Ernest D.; Moseley, S. H., Jr.; Rebar, Joyce; Shafer, Richard A.

2004-10-01

Far-infrared detector arrays such as the 16x32 superconducting bolometer array for the SAFIRE instrument (flying on the SOFIA airborne observatory) require systems of readout and control electronics to provide translation between a user-driven, digital PC and the cold, analog world of the cryogenic detector. In 2001, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed their Mark III electronics for purposes of control and readout of their 1x32 SQUID Multiplexer chips. We at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center acquired a Mark III system and subsequently designed upgrades to suit our and our collaborators' purposes. We developed an arbitrary, programmable multiplexing system that allows the user to cycle through rows in a SQUID array in an infinite number of combinations. We provided 'hooks' in the Mark III system to allow readout of signals from outside the Mark III system, such as telescope status information. Finally, we augmented the heart of the system with a new feedback algorithm implementation, flexible diagnostic tools, and informative telemetry.

A Simple Spectrophotometer Using Common Materials and a Digital Camera

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Widiatmoko, Eko; Widayani; Budiman, Maman; Abdullah, Mikrajuddin; Khairurrijal

2011-01-01

A simple spectrophotometer was designed using cardboard, a DVD, a pocket digital camera, a tripod and a computer. The DVD was used as a diffraction grating and the camera as a light sensor. The spectrophotometer was calibrated using a reference light prior to use. The spectrophotometer was capable of measuring optical wavelengths with a…

Upgraded Readout Electronics for the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeters at the High Luminosity LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andeen, Timothy R.; ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter Group

2012-12-01

The ATLAS liquid-argon calorimeters produce a total of 182,486 signals which are digitized and processed by the front-end and back-end electronics at every triggered event. In addition, the front-end electronics sum analog signals to provide coarsely grained energy sums, called trigger towers, to the first-level trigger system, which is optimized for nominal LHC luminosities. However, the pile-up background expected during the high luminosity phases of the LHC will be increased by factors of 3 to 7. An improved spatial granularity of the trigger primitives is therefore proposed in order to improve the identification performance for trigger signatures, like electrons or photons, at high background rejection rates. For the first upgrade phase in 2018, new Liquid Argon Trigger Digitizer Boards are being designed to receive higher granularity signals, digitize them on detector and send them via fast optical links to a new, off-detector digital processing system. The digital processing system applies digital filtering and identifies significant energy depositions. The refined trigger primitives are then transmitted to the first level trigger system to extract improved trigger signatures. The general concept of the upgraded liquid-argon calorimeter readout together with the various electronics components to be developed for such a complex system is presented. The research activities and architectural studies undertaken by the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter Group are described, particularly details of the on-going design of mixed-signal front-end electronics, of radiation tolerant optical-links, and of the high-speed off-detector digital processing system.

Remote balance weighs accurately amid high radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eggenberger, D. N.; Shuck, A. B.

1969-01-01

Commercial beam-type balance, modified and outfitted with electronic controls and digital readout, can be remotely controlled for use in high radiation environments. This allows accurate weighing of breeder-reactor fuel pieces when they are radioactively hot.

Spectral colors capture and reproduction based on digital camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Defen; Huang, Qingmei; Li, Wei; Lu, Yang

2018-01-01

The purpose of this work is to develop a method for the accurate reproduction of the spectral colors captured by digital camera. The spectral colors being the purest color in any hue, are difficult to reproduce without distortion on digital devices. In this paper, we attempt to achieve accurate hue reproduction of the spectral colors by focusing on two steps of color correction: the capture of the spectral colors and the color characterization of digital camera. Hence it determines the relationship among the spectral color wavelength, the RGB color space of the digital camera device and the CIEXYZ color space. This study also provides a basis for further studies related to the color spectral reproduction on digital devices. In this paper, methods such as wavelength calibration of the spectral colors and digital camera characterization were utilized. The spectrum was obtained through the grating spectroscopy system. A photo of a clear and reliable primary spectrum was taken by adjusting the relative parameters of the digital camera, from which the RGB values of color spectrum was extracted in 1040 equally-divided locations. Calculated using grating equation and measured by the spectrophotometer, two wavelength values were obtained from each location. The polynomial fitting method for the camera characterization was used to achieve color correction. After wavelength calibration, the maximum error between the two sets of wavelengths is 4.38nm. According to the polynomial fitting method, the average color difference of test samples is 3.76. This has satisfied the application needs of the spectral colors in digital devices such as display and transmission.

Construction of the DHCAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francis, Kurt; CALICE Collaboration

Particle Flow Algorithms (PFAs) have been proposed as a method of improving the jet energy resolution of future colliding beam detectors. PFAs require calorimeters with high granularity to enable three-dimensional imaging of events. The Calorimeter for the Linear Collider Collaboration (CALICE) is developing and testing prototypes of such highly segmented calorimeters. In this context, a large prototype of a Digital Hadron Calorimeter (DHCAL) was developed and constructed by a group led by Argonne National Laboratory. The DHCAL consists of 52 layers, instrumented with Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) and interleaved with steel absorber plates. The RPCs are read out by 1 x 1 cm2 pads with a 1-bit resolution (digital readout). The DHCAL prototype has approximately 480,000 readout channels. This talk reports on the design, construction and commissioning of the DHCAL. The DHCAL was installed at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility in fall 2010 and data was collected through the summer 2011.

Digital diffraction analysis enables low-cost molecular diagnostics on a smartphone

PubMed Central

Im, Hyungsoon; Castro, Cesar M.; Shao, Huilin; Liong, Monty; Song, Jun; Pathania, Divya; Fexon, Lioubov; Min, Changwook; Avila-Wallace, Maria; Zurkiya, Omar; Rho, Junsung; Magaoay, Brady; Tambouret, Rosemary H.; Pivovarov, Misha; Weissleder, Ralph; Lee, Hakho

2015-01-01

The widespread distribution of smartphones, with their integrated sensors and communication capabilities, makes them an ideal platform for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis, especially in resource-limited settings. Molecular diagnostics, however, have been difficult to implement in smartphones. We herein report a diffraction-based approach that enables molecular and cellular diagnostics. The D3 (digital diffraction diagnosis) system uses microbeads to generate unique diffraction patterns which can be acquired by smartphones and processed by a remote server. We applied the D3 platform to screen for precancerous or cancerous cells in cervical specimens and to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. The D3 assay generated readouts within 45 min and showed excellent agreement with gold-standard pathology or HPV testing, respectively. This approach could have favorable global health applications where medical access is limited or when pathology bottlenecks challenge prompt diagnostic readouts. PMID:25870273

Digital diffraction analysis enables low-cost molecular diagnostics on a smartphone.

PubMed

Im, Hyungsoon; Castro, Cesar M; Shao, Huilin; Liong, Monty; Song, Jun; Pathania, Divya; Fexon, Lioubov; Min, Changwook; Avila-Wallace, Maria; Zurkiya, Omar; Rho, Junsung; Magaoay, Brady; Tambouret, Rosemary H; Pivovarov, Misha; Weissleder, Ralph; Lee, Hakho

2015-05-05

The widespread distribution of smartphones, with their integrated sensors and communication capabilities, makes them an ideal platform for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis, especially in resource-limited settings. Molecular diagnostics, however, have been difficult to implement in smartphones. We herein report a diffraction-based approach that enables molecular and cellular diagnostics. The D3 (digital diffraction diagnosis) system uses microbeads to generate unique diffraction patterns which can be acquired by smartphones and processed by a remote server. We applied the D3 platform to screen for precancerous or cancerous cells in cervical specimens and to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. The D3 assay generated readouts within 45 min and showed excellent agreement with gold-standard pathology or HPV testing, respectively. This approach could have favorable global health applications where medical access is limited or when pathology bottlenecks challenge prompt diagnostic readouts.

A Three-Step Resolution-Reconfigurable Hazardous Multi-Gas Sensor Interface for Wireless Air-Quality Monitoring Applications.

PubMed

Choi, Subin; Park, Kyeonghwan; Lee, Seungwook; Lim, Yeongjin; Oh, Byungjoo; Chae, Hee Young; Park, Chan Sam; Shin, Heugjoo; Kim, Jae Joon

2018-03-02

This paper presents a resolution-reconfigurable wide-range resistive sensor readout interface for wireless multi-gas monitoring applications that displays results on a smartphone. Three types of sensing resolutions were selected to minimize processing power consumption, and a dual-mode front-end structure was proposed to support the detection of a variety of hazardous gases with wide range of characteristic resistance. The readout integrated circuit (ROIC) was fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS process to provide three reconfigurable data conversions that correspond to a low-power resistance-to-digital converter (RDC), a 12-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a 16-bit delta-sigma modulator. For functional feasibility, a wireless sensor system prototype that included in-house microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensing devices and commercial device products was manufactured and experimentally verified to detect a variety of hazardous gases.

Digitized molecular diagnostics: reading disk-based bioassays with standard computer drives.

PubMed

Li, Yunchao; Ou, Lily M L; Yu, Hua-Zhong

2008-11-01

We report herein a digital signal readout protocol for screening disk-based bioassays with standard optical drives of ordinary desktop/notebook computers. Three different types of biochemical recognition reactions (biotin-streptavidin binding, DNA hybridization, and protein-protein interaction) were performed directly on a compact disk in a line array format with the help of microfluidic channel plates. Being well-correlated with the optical darkness of the binding sites (after signal enhancement by gold nanoparticle-promoted autometallography), the reading error levels of prerecorded audio files can serve as a quantitative measure of biochemical interaction. This novel readout protocol is about 1 order of magnitude more sensitive than fluorescence labeling/scanning and has the capability of examining multiplex microassays on the same disk. Because no modification to either hardware or software is needed, it promises a platform technology for rapid, low-cost, and high-throughput point-of-care biomedical diagnostics.

PANDORA, a large volume low-energy neutron detector with real-time neutron-gamma discrimination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuhl, L.; Sasano, M.; Yako, K.; Yasuda, J.; Baba, H.; Ota, S.; Uesaka, T.

2017-09-01

The PANDORA (Particle Analyzer Neutron Detector Of Real-time Acquisition) system, which was developed for use in inverse kinematics experiments with unstable isotope beams, is a neutron detector based on a plastic scintillator coupled to a digital readout. PANDORA can be used for any reaction study involving the emission of low energy neutrons (100 keV-10 MeV) where background suppression and an increased signal-to-noise ratio are crucial. The digital readout system provides an opportunity for pulse shape discrimination (PSD) of the detected particles as well as intelligent triggering based on PSD. The figure of merit results of PANDORA are compared to the data in literature. Using PANDORA, 91 ± 1% of all detected neutrons can be separated, while 91 ± 1% of the detected gamma rays can be excluded, reducing the gamma ray background by one order of magnitude.

A simple system for 160GHz optical terahertz wave generation and data modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yihan; He, Jingsuo; Sun, Xueming; Shi, Zexia; Wang, Ruike; Cui, Hailin; Su, Bo; Zhang, Cunlin

2018-01-01

A simple system based on two cascaded Mach-Zehnder modulators, which can generate 160GHz optical terahertz waves from 40GHz microwave sources, is simulated and tested in this paper. Fiber grating filter is used in the system to filter out optical carrier. By properly adjusting the modulator DC bias voltages and the signal voltages and phases, 4-tupling optical terahertz wave can be generated with fiber grating. This notch fiber grating filter is greatly suitable for terahertz over fiber (TOF) communication system. This scheme greatly reduces the cost of long-distance terahertz communication. Furthermore, 10Gbps digital signal is modulated in the 160GHz optical terahertz wave.

A frequency-sensing readout using piezoelectric sensors for sensing of physiological signals.

PubMed

Buxi, Dilpreet; Redouté, Jean-Michel; Yuce, Mehmet Rasit

2014-01-01

Together with a charge or voltage amplifier, piezoelectric sensors are commonly used to pick up physiological vibrations from the body. As an alternative to chopper or auto-zero amplifiers, frequency sensing is known in literature to provide advantages of noise immunity, interfacing to digital readout systems as well as tunable range of sensing. A frequency-sensing readout circuit for sensing low voltage signals from piezoelectric sensors is successfully developed and tested in this work. The output voltage of a piezoelectric sensor is fed to a varactor, which is part of an Colpitts LC oscillator. The oscillation frequency is converted into a voltage using a phase locked loop. The circuit is compared to a reference design in terms of linearity, noise and transfer function. The readout has a input-referred noise voltage of 2.24μV/√Hz and consumes 15 mA at 5V supply. Arterial pulse wave signals and the cardiac vibrations from the chest are measured from one subject to show the proof of concept of the proposed readout. The results of this work are intended to contribute towards alternative low noise analog front end designs for piezoelectric sensors.

Side readout of long scintillation crystal elements with digital SiPM for TOF-DOI PET.

PubMed

Yeom, Jung Yeol; Vinke, Ruud; Levin, Craig S

2014-12-01

Side readout of scintillation light from crystal elements in positron emission tomography (PET) is an alternative to conventional end-readout configurations, with the benefit of being able to provide accurate depth-of-interaction (DOI) information and good energy resolution while achieving excellent timing resolution required for time-of-flight PET. This paper explores different readout geometries of scintillation crystal elements with the goal of achieving a detector that simultaneously achieves excellent timing resolution, energy resolution, spatial resolution, and photon sensitivity. The performance of discrete LYSO scintillation elements of different lengths read out from the end/side with digital silicon photomultipliers (dSiPMs) has been assessed. Compared to 3 × 3 × 20 mm(3) LYSO crystals read out from their ends with a coincidence resolving time (CRT) of 162 ± 6 ps FWHM and saturated energy spectra, a side-readout configuration achieved an excellent CRT of 144 ± 2 ps FWHM after correcting for timing skews within the dSiPM and an energy resolution of 11.8% ± 0.2% without requiring energy saturation correction. Using a maximum likelihood estimation method on individual dSiPM pixel response that corresponds to different 511 keV photon interaction positions, the DOI resolution of this 3 × 3 × 20 mm(3) crystal side-readout configuration was computed to be 0.8 mm FWHM with negligible artifacts at the crystal ends. On the other hand, with smaller 3 × 3 × 5 mm(3) LYSO crystals that can also be tiled/stacked to provide DOI information, a timing resolution of 134 ± 6 ps was attained but produced highly saturated energy spectra. The energy, timing, and DOI resolution information extracted from the side of long scintillation crystal elements coupled to dSiPM have been acquired for the first time. The authors conclude in this proof of concept study that such detector configuration has the potential to enable outstanding detector performance in terms of timing, energy, and DOI resolution.

Side readout of long scintillation crystal elements with digital SiPM for TOF-DOI PET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yeom, Jung Yeol, E-mail: yeomjy@kumoh.ac.kr, E-mail: cslevin@stanford.edu; Vinke, Ruud; Levin, Craig S., E-mail: yeomjy@kumoh.ac.kr, E-mail: cslevin@stanford.edu

Purpose: Side readout of scintillation light from crystal elements in positron emission tomography (PET) is an alternative to conventional end-readout configurations, with the benefit of being able to provide accurate depth-of-interaction (DOI) information and good energy resolution while achieving excellent timing resolution required for time-of-flight PET. This paper explores different readout geometries of scintillation crystal elements with the goal of achieving a detector that simultaneously achieves excellent timing resolution, energy resolution, spatial resolution, and photon sensitivity. Methods: The performance of discrete LYSO scintillation elements of different lengths read out from the end/side with digital silicon photomultipliers (dSiPMs) has been assessed.more » Results: Compared to 3 × 3 × 20 mm{sup 3} LYSO crystals read out from their ends with a coincidence resolving time (CRT) of 162 ± 6 ps FWHM and saturated energy spectra, a side-readout configuration achieved an excellent CRT of 144 ± 2 ps FWHM after correcting for timing skews within the dSiPM and an energy resolution of 11.8% ± 0.2% without requiring energy saturation correction. Using a maximum likelihood estimation method on individual dSiPM pixel response that corresponds to different 511 keV photon interaction positions, the DOI resolution of this 3 × 3 × 20 mm{sup 3} crystal side-readout configuration was computed to be 0.8 mm FWHM with negligible artifacts at the crystal ends. On the other hand, with smaller 3 × 3 × 5 mm{sup 3} LYSO crystals that can also be tiled/stacked to provide DOI information, a timing resolution of 134 ± 6 ps was attained but produced highly saturated energy spectra. Conclusions: The energy, timing, and DOI resolution information extracted from the side of long scintillation crystal elements coupled to dSiPM have been acquired for the first time. The authors conclude in this proof of concept study that such detector configuration has the potential to enable outstanding detector performance in terms of timing, energy, and DOI resolution.« less

Clock distribution for BaF2 readout electronics at CSNS-WNS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Bing; Cao, Ping; Zhang, De-Liang; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Ya-Xi; Qi, Xin-Cheng; An, Qi

2017-01-01

A BaF2 (Barium Fluoride) detector array is designed to precisely measure the (n, γ) cross section at the CSNS-WNS (white neutron source at China Spallation Neutron Source). It is a 4π solid angle-shaped detector array consisting of 92 BaF2 crystal elements. To discriminate signals from the BaF2 detector, a pulse shape discrimination method is used, supported by a waveform digitization technique. There are 92 channels for digitizing. The precision and synchronization of clock distribution restricts the performance of waveform digitizing. In this paper, a clock prototype for the BaF2 readout electronics at CSNS-WNS is introduced. It is based on the PXIe platform and has a twin-stage tree topology. In the first stage, clock is synchronously distributed from the tree root to each PXIe crate through a coaxial cable over a long distance, while in the second stage, the clock is further distributed to each electronic module through a PXIe dedicated differential star bus. With the help of this topology, each tree node can fan out up to 20 clocks with 3U size. Test results show the clock jitter is less than 20 ps, which meets the requirements of the BaF2 readout electronics. Besides, this clock system has the advantages of high density, simplicity, scalability and cost saving, so it can be useful for other clock distribution applications. Supported by National Research and Development plan (2016 YFA0401602) NSAF (U1530111) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (11005107)

Gamma ray spectroscopy employing divalent europium-doped alkaline earth halides and digital readout for accurate histogramming

DOEpatents

Cherepy, Nerine Jane; Payne, Stephen Anthony; Drury, Owen B.; Sturm, Benjamin W.

2016-02-09

According to one embodiment, a scintillator radiation detector system includes a scintillator, and a processing device for processing pulse traces corresponding to light pulses from the scintillator, where the processing device is configured to: process each pulse trace over at least two temporal windows and to use pulse digitization to improve energy resolution of the system. According to another embodiment, a scintillator radiation detector system includes a processing device configured to: fit digitized scintillation waveforms to an algorithm, perform a direct integration of fit parameters, process multiple integration windows for each digitized scintillation waveform to determine a correction factor, and apply the correction factor to each digitized scintillation waveform.

Toward VIP-PIX: A Low Noise Readout ASIC for Pixelated CdTe Gamma-Ray Detectors for Use in the Next Generation of PET Scanners.

PubMed

Macias-Montero, Jose-Gabriel; Sarraj, Maher; Chmeissani, Mokhtar; Puigdengoles, Carles; Lorenzo, Gianluca De; Martínez, Ricardo

2013-08-01

VIP-PIX will be a low noise and low power pixel readout electronics with digital output for pixelated Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) detectors. The proposed pixel will be part of a 2D pixel-array detector for various types of nuclear medicine imaging devices such as positron-emission tomography (PET) scanners, Compton gamma cameras, and positron-emission mammography (PEM) scanners. Each pixel will include a SAR ADC that provides the energy deposited with 10-bit resolution. Simultaneously, the self-triggered pixel which will be connected to a global time-to-digital converter (TDC) with 1 ns resolution will provide the event's time stamp. The analog part of the readout chain and the ADC have been fabricated with TSMC 0.25 μ m mixed-signal CMOS technology and characterized with an external test pulse. The power consumption of these parts is 200 μ W from a 2.5 V supply. It offers 4 switchable gains from ±10 mV/fC to ±40 mV/fC and an input charge dynamic range of up to ±70 fC for the minimum gain for both polarities. Based on noise measurements, the expected equivalent noise charge (ENC) is 65 e - RMS at room temperature.

A Low Noise CMOS Readout Based on a Polymer-Coated SAW Array for Miniature Electronic Nose

PubMed Central

Wu, Cheng-Chun; Liu, Szu-Chieh; Chiu, Shih-Wen; Tang, Kea-Tiong

2016-01-01

An electronic nose (E-Nose) is one of the applications for surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors. In this paper, we present a low-noise complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) based on an SAW sensor array for achieving a miniature E-Nose. The center frequency of the SAW sensors was measured to be approximately 114 MHz. Because of interference between the sensors, we designed a low-noise CMOS frequency readout circuit to enable the SAW sensor to obtain frequency variation. The proposed circuit was fabricated in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 0.18 μm 1P6M CMOS process technology. The total chip size was nearly 1203 × 1203 μm2. The chip was operated at a supply voltage of 1 V for a digital circuit and 1.8 V for an analog circuit. The least measurable difference between frequencies was 4 Hz. The detection limit of the system, when estimated using methanol and ethanol, was 0.1 ppm. Their linearity was in the range of 0.1 to 26,000 ppm. The power consumption levels of the analog and digital circuits were 1.742 mW and 761 μW, respectively. PMID:27792131

Radiation Tolerant Electronics and Digital Processing for the Phase-I Trigger Readout Upgrade of the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milic, A.

The high luminosities of L > 10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN produce an intense radiation environment that the detectors and their electronics must withstand. The ATLAS detector is a multi-purpose apparatus constructed to explore the new particle physics regime opened by the LHC. Of the many decay particles observed by the ATLAS detector, the energy of the created electrons and photons is measured by a sampling calorimeter technique that uses Liquid Argon (LAr) as its active medium. The front end (FE) electronic readout of the ATLAS LAr calorimeter located on the detectormore » itself consists of a combined analog and digital processing system. In order to exploit the higher luminosity while keeping the same trigger bandwidth of 100 kHz, higher transverse granularity, higher resolution and longitudinal shower shape information will be provided from the LAr calorimeter to the Level-l trigger processors. New trigger readout electronics have been designed for this purpose, which will withstand the radiation dose levels expected for an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb{sup -1} during the high luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), which is well above the original LHC design qualifications. (authors)« less

A positron emission tomograph based on LSO-APD modules with a sampling ADC read-out system for a students' advanced laboratory course.

PubMed

Schneider, Florian R; Mann, Alexander B; Konorov, Igor; Delso, Gaspar; Paul, Stephan; Ziegler, Sibylle I

2012-06-01

A one-day laboratory course on positron emission tomography (PET) for the education of physics students and PhD students in medical physics has been set up. In the course, the physical background and the principles of a PET scanner are introduced. Course attendees set the system in operation, calibrate it using a (22)Na point source and reconstruct different source geometries filled with (18)F. The PET scanner features an individual channel read-out of 96 lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillator crystals coupled to avalanche photodiodes (APD). The analog data of each APD are digitized by fast sampling analog to digital converters (SADC) and processed within field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) to extract amplitudes and time stamps. All SADCs are continuously sampling with a precise rate of 80MHz, which is synchronous for the whole system. The data is transmitted via USB to a Linux PC, where further processing and the image reconstruction are performed. The course attendees get an insight into detector techniques, modern read-out electronics, data acquisition and PET image reconstruction. In addition, a short introduction to some common software applications used in particle and high energy physics is part of the course. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

A Low Noise CMOS Readout Based on a Polymer-Coated SAW Array for Miniature Electronic Nose.

PubMed

Wu, Cheng-Chun; Liu, Szu-Chieh; Chiu, Shih-Wen; Tang, Kea-Tiong

2016-10-25

An electronic nose (E-Nose) is one of the applications for surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors. In this paper, we present a low-noise complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) based on an SAW sensor array for achieving a miniature E-Nose. The center frequency of the SAW sensors was measured to be approximately 114 MHz. Because of interference between the sensors, we designed a low-noise CMOS frequency readout circuit to enable the SAW sensor to obtain frequency variation. The proposed circuit was fabricated in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 0.18 μm 1P6M CMOS process technology. The total chip size was nearly 1203 × 1203 μm². The chip was operated at a supply voltage of 1 V for a digital circuit and 1.8 V for an analog circuit. The least measurable difference between frequencies was 4 Hz. The detection limit of the system, when estimated using methanol and ethanol, was 0.1 ppm. Their linearity was in the range of 0.1 to 26,000 ppm. The power consumption levels of the analog and digital circuits were 1.742 mW and 761 μW, respectively.

PFM2: a 32 × 32 processor for X-ray diffraction imaging at FELs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manghisoni, M.; Fabris, L.; Re, V.; Traversi, G.; Ratti, L.; Grassi, M.; Lodola, L.; Malcovati, P.; Vacchi, C.; Pancheri, L.; Benkechcache, M. E. A.; Dalla Betta, G.-F.; Xu, H.; Verzellesi, G.; Ronchin, S.; Boscardin, M.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Casarosa, G.; Forti, F.; Giorgi, M.; Paladino, A.; Paoloni, E.; Rizzo, G.; Morsani, F.

2016-11-01

This work is concerned with the design of a readout chip for application to experiments at the next generation X-ray Free Electron Lasers (FEL). The ASIC, named PixFEL Matrix (PFM2), has been designed in a 65 nm CMOS technology and consists of 32 × 32 pixels. Each cell covers an area of 110 × 110 μm2 and includes a low-noise charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) with dynamic signal compression, a time-variant shaper used to process the preamplifier output signal, a 10-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital circuitry for channel control and data readout. Two different solutions for the readout channel, based on different versions of the time-variant filter, have been integrated in the chip. Both solutions can be operated in such a way to cope with the high frame rate (exceeding 1 MHz) foreseen for future X-ray FEL machines. The ASIC will be bump bonded to a slim/active edge pixel sensor to form the first demonstrator for the PixFEL X-ray imager. This work has been carried out in the frame of the PixFEL project funded by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Italy.

Estimating the Infrared Radiation Wavelength Emitted by a Remote Control Device Using a Digital Camera

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Catelli, Francisco; Giovannini, Odilon; Bolzan, Vicente Dall Agnol

2011-01-01

The interference fringes produced by a diffraction grating illuminated with radiation from a TV remote control and a red laser beam are, simultaneously, captured by a digital camera. Based on an image with two interference patterns, an estimate of the infrared radiation wavelength emitted by a TV remote control is made. (Contains 4 figures.)

Hyper Suprime-Cam: development of the CCD readout electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakaya, Hidehiko; Uchida, Tomohisa; Miyatake, Hironao; Fujimori, Hiroki; Mineo, Sogo; Aihara, Hiroaki; Furusawa, Hisanori; Kamata, Yukiko; Karoji, Hiroshi; Kawanomoto, Satoshi; Komiyama, Yutaka; Miyazaki, Satoshi; Morokuma, Tomoki; Obuchi, Yoshiyuki; Okura, Yuki; Tanaka, Manobu; Tanaka, Yoko; Uraguchi, Fumihiro; Utsumi, Yosuke

2010-07-01

Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) employs 116 of 2k×4k CCDs with 464 signal outputs in total. The image size exceeds 2 GBytes, and the data can be readout every 10 seconds which results in the data rate of 210 Mbytes / sec. The data is digitized to 16-bit. The readout noise of the electronics at the readout time of 20 seconds is ~0.9 ADU, and the one with CCD is ~1.5 ADU which corresponds to ~4.5 e. The linearity error fits within +/- 0.5 % up to 150,000 e. The CCD readout electronics for HSC was newly developed based on the electronics for Suprime-Cam. The frontend electronics (FEE) is placed in the vacuum dewar, and the backend electronics (BEE) is mounted on the outside of the dewar on the prime focus unit. The FEE boards were designed to minimize the outgas and to maximize the heat transfer efficiency to keep the vacuum of the dewar. The BEE boards were designed to be simple and small as long as to achieve the readout time within 10 seconds. The production of the system has been finished, and the full set of the boards are being tested with several CCDs installed in the HSC dewar. We will show the system design, performance, and the current status of the development.

Delay grid multiplexing: simple time-based multiplexing and readout method for silicon photomultipliers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Won, Jun Yeon; Ko, Guen Bae; Lee, Jae Sung

2016-10-01

In this paper, we propose a fully time-based multiplexing and readout method that uses the principle of the global positioning system. Time-based multiplexing allows simplifying the multiplexing circuits where the only innate traces that connect the signal pins of the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) channels to the readout channels are used as the multiplexing circuit. Every SiPM channel is connected to the delay grid that consists of the traces on a printed circuit board, and the inherent transit times from each SiPM channel to the readout channels encode the position information uniquely. Thus, the position of each SiPM can be identified using the time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements. The proposed multiplexing can also allow simplification of the readout circuit using the time-to-digital converter (TDC) implemented in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), where the time-over-threshold (ToT) is used to extract the energy information after multiplexing. In order to verify the proposed multiplexing method, we built a positron emission tomography (PET) detector that consisted of an array of 4  ×  4 LGSO crystals, each with a dimension of 3  ×  3  ×  20 mm3, and one- to-one coupled SiPM channels. We first employed the waveform sampler as an initial study, and then replaced the waveform sampler with an FPGA-TDC to further simplify the readout circuits. The 16 crystals were clearly resolved using only the time information obtained from the four readout channels. The coincidence resolving times (CRTs) were 382 and 406 ps FWHM when using the waveform sampler and the FPGA-TDC, respectively. The proposed simple multiplexing and readout methods can be useful for time-of-flight (TOF) PET scanners.

Miniature Housings for Electronics With Standard Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, David E.; Smith, Dennis A.; Alhorn, Dean C.

2006-01-01

A family of general-purpose miniature housings has been designed to contain diverse sensors, actuators, and drive circuits plus associated digital electronic readout and control circuits. The circuits contained in the housings communicate with the external world via standard RS-485 interfaces.

Method and apparatus for optical encoding with compressible imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

The present invention presents an optical encoder with increased conversion rates. Improvement in the conversion rate is a result of combining changes in the pattern recognition encoder's scale pattern with an image sensor readout technique which takes full advantage of those changes, and lends itself to operation by modern, high-speed, ultra-compact microprocessors and digital signal processors (DSP) or field programmable gate array (FPGA) logic elements which can process encoder scale images at the highest speeds. Through these improvements, all three components of conversion time (reciprocal conversion rate)--namely exposure time, image readout time, and image processing time--are minimized.

A PFM-based MWIR DROIC employing off-pixel fine conversion of photocharge to digital using integrated column ADCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, S.; Galioglu, A.; Shafique, A.; Ceylan, O.; Yazici, M.; Gurbuz, Y.

2017-02-01

A 32x32 prototype of a digital readout IC (DROIC) for medium-wave infrared focal plane arrays (MWIR IR-FPAs) is presented. The DROIC employs in-pixel photocurrent to digital conversion based on a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) loop and boasts a novel feature of off-pixel residue conversion using 10-bit column SAR ADCs. The remaining charge at the end of integration in typical PFM based digital pixel sensors is usually wasted. Previous works employing in-pixel extended counting methods make use of extra memory and counters to convert this left-over charge to digital, thereby performing fine conversion of the incident photocurrent. This results in a low quantization noise and hence keeps the readout noise low. However, focal plane arrays (FPAs) with small pixel pitch are constrained in pixel area, which makes it difficult to benefit from in-pixel extended counting circuitry. Thus, in this work, a novel approach to measure the residue outside the pixel using column -parallel SAR ADCs has been proposed. Moreover, a modified version of the conventional PFM based pixel has been designed to help hold the residue charge and buffer it to the column ADC. In addition to the 2D array of pixels, the prototype consists of 32 SAR ADCs, a timing controller block and a memory block to buffer the residue data coming out of the ADCs. The prototype has been designed and fabricated in 90nm CMOS.

UVSTAR: An imaging spectrograph with telescope for the Shuttle Hitchhiker-M platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stalio, Roberto; Sandel, Bill R.; Broadfoot, A. Lyle

1993-01-01

UVSTAR is an EUV spectral imager intended as a facility instrument devoted to solar system and astronomy studies. It covers the wavelength range of 500 to 1250 A, with sufficient spectral resolution to separate emission lines and to form spectrally resolved images of extended plasma sources. Targets include the Io plasma torus at Jupiter, hot stars, planetary nebulae and bright galaxies. UVSTAR consists of a pair of telescopes and concave grating spectrographs that cover the overlapping spectral ranges of 500-900 and 850-1250 A. The telescopes use two 30 cm diameter off-axis paraboloids having focal length of 1.5 m. An image of the target is formed at the entrance slits of the two concave grating spectrographs. The gratings provide dispersion and re-image the slits at the detectors, intensified CCD's. The readout format of the detectors can be chosen by computer, and three slit widths are selectable to adapt the instrument to specific tasks. UVSTAR has internal gimbals which allow rotation of plus or minus 3 deg about each of two axes. Dedicated finding and tracking telescopes will acquire and track the target after rough pointing is achieved by orienting the Orbiter. Responsibilities for implementation and utilization of UVSTAR are shared by groups in Italy and the U.S. UVSTAR is scheduled for flight in early 1995, timed for an opportunity to observe the Jovian system.

The GANDALF 128-Channel Time-to-Digital Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büchele, M.; Fischer, H.; Herrmann, F.; Königsmann, K.; Schill, C.; Schopferer, S.

The GANDALF 6U-VME64x/VXS module has been designed to cope with a variety of readout tasks in high energy and nuclear physics experiments, in particular the COMPASS experiment at CERN. The exchangeable mezzanine cards allow for an employment of the system in very different applications such as analog-to-digital or time-to-digital conversions, coincidence matrix formation, fast pattern recognition or fast trigger generation. Based on this platform, we present a 128-channel TDC which is implemented in a single Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA using a shifted clock sampling method. In this concept each input signal is continuously sampled by 16 flip-flops using equidistant phase-shifted clocks. Compared to previous FPGA designs, usually based on delay lines and comprising few TDC channels with resolutions in the order of 10 ps, our design permits the implementation of a large number of TDC channels with a resolution of 64 ps in a single FPGA. Predictable placement of logic components and uniform routing inside the FPGA fabric is a particular challenge of this design. We present measurement results for the time resolution and the nonlinearity of the TDC readout system.

Simulation and Digitization of a Gas Electron Multiplier Detector Using Geant4 and an Object-Oriented Digitization Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMullen, Timothy; Liyanage, Nilanga; Xiong, Weizhi; Zhao, Zhiwen

2017-01-01

Our research has focused on simulating the response of a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector using computational methods. GEM detectors provide a cost effective solution for radiation detection in high rate environments. A detailed simulation of GEM detector response to radiation is essential for the successful adaption of these detectors to different applications. Using Geant4 Monte Carlo (GEMC), a wrapper around Geant4 which has been successfully used to simulate the Solenoidal Large Intensity Device (SoLID) at Jefferson Lab, we are developing a simulation of a GEM chamber similar to the detectors currently used in our lab. We are also refining an object-oriented digitization program, which translates energy deposition information from GEMC into electronic readout which resembles the readout from our physical detectors. We have run the simulation with beta particles produced by the simulated decay of a 90Sr source, as well as with a simulated bremsstrahlung spectrum. Comparing the simulation data with real GEM data taken under similar conditions is used to refine the simulation parameters. Comparisons between results from the simulations and results from detector tests will be presented.

A flexible FPGA based QDC and TDC for the HADES and the CBM calorimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rost, A.; Galatyuk, T.; Koenig, W.; Michel, J.; Pietraszko, J.; Skott, P.; Traxler, M.

2017-02-01

A Charge-to-Digital-Converter (QDC) and Time-to-Digital-Converter (TDC) based on a commercial FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) was developed to read out PMT signals of the planned HADES electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH (Darmstadt, Germany). The main idea is to convert the charge measurement of a detector signal into a time measurement, where the charge is encoded in the width of a digital pulse, while the arrival time information is encoded in the leading edge time of the pulse. The PaDiWa-AMPS prototype front-end board for the TRB3 (General Purpose Trigger and Readout Board—version 3) which implements this conversion method was developed and qualified. The already well established TRB3 platform provides the needed precise time measurements and serves as a data acquisition system. We present the read-out concept and the performance of the prototype boards in laboratory and also under beam conditions. First steps have been completed in order to adapt this concept to SiPM signals of the hadron calorimeter in the CBM experiment at the planned FAIR facility (Darmstadt).

Scene-based nonuniformity correction technique that exploits knowledge of the focal-plane array readout architecture.

PubMed

Narayanan, Balaji; Hardie, Russell C; Muse, Robert A

2005-06-10

Spatial fixed-pattern noise is a common and major problem in modern infrared imagers owing to the nonuniform response of the photodiodes in the focal plane array of the imaging system. In addition, the nonuniform response of the readout and digitization electronics, which are involved in multiplexing the signals from the photodiodes, causes further nonuniformity. We describe a novel scene based on a nonuniformity correction algorithm that treats the aggregate nonuniformity in separate stages. First, the nonuniformity from the readout amplifiers is corrected by use of knowledge of the readout architecture of the imaging system. Second, the nonuniformity resulting from the individual detectors is corrected with a nonlinear filter-based method. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm by applying it to simulated imagery and real infrared data. Quantitative results in terms of the mean absolute error and the signal-to-noise ratio are also presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. One advantage of the proposed algorithm is that it requires only a few frames to obtain high-quality corrections.

Temporary formation of highly conducting domain walls for non-destructive read-out of ferroelectric domain-wall resistance switching memories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jun; Bai, Zi Long; Chen, Zhi Hui; He, Long; Zhang, David Wei; Zhang, Qing Hua; Shi, Jin An; Park, Min Hyuk; Scott, James F.; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Jiang, An Quan

2018-01-01

Erasable conductive domain walls in insulating ferroelectric thin films can be used for non-destructive electrical read-out of the polarization states in ferroelectric memories. Still, the domain-wall currents extracted by these devices have not yet reached the intensity and stability required to drive read-out circuits operating at high speeds. This study demonstrated non-destructive read-out of digital data stored using specific domain-wall configurations in epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films formed in mesa-geometry structures. Partially switched domains, which enable the formation of conductive walls during the read operation, spontaneously retract when the read voltage is removed, reducing the accumulation of mobile defects at the domain walls and potentially improving the device stability. Three-terminal memory devices produced 14 nA read currents at an operating voltage of 5 V, and operated up to T = 85 °C. The gap length can also be smaller than the film thickness, allowing the realization of ferroelectric memories with device dimensions far below 100 nm.

Noise Reduction Effect of Multiple-Sampling-Based Signal-Readout Circuits for Ultra-Low Noise CMOS Image Sensors.

PubMed

Kawahito, Shoji; Seo, Min-Woong

2016-11-06

This paper discusses the noise reduction effect of multiple-sampling-based signal readout circuits for implementing ultra-low-noise image sensors. The correlated multiple sampling (CMS) technique has recently become an important technology for high-gain column readout circuits in low-noise CMOS image sensors (CISs). This paper reveals how the column CMS circuits, together with a pixel having a high-conversion-gain charge detector and low-noise transistor, realizes deep sub-electron read noise levels based on the analysis of noise components in the signal readout chain from a pixel to the column analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The noise measurement results of experimental CISs are compared with the noise analysis and the effect of noise reduction to the sampling number is discussed at the deep sub-electron level. Images taken with three CMS gains of two, 16, and 128 show distinct advantage of image contrast for the gain of 128 (noise(median): 0.29 e - rms ) when compared with the CMS gain of two (2.4 e - rms ), or 16 (1.1 e - rms ).

Noise Reduction Effect of Multiple-Sampling-Based Signal-Readout Circuits for Ultra-Low Noise CMOS Image Sensors

PubMed Central

Kawahito, Shoji; Seo, Min-Woong

2016-01-01

This paper discusses the noise reduction effect of multiple-sampling-based signal readout circuits for implementing ultra-low-noise image sensors. The correlated multiple sampling (CMS) technique has recently become an important technology for high-gain column readout circuits in low-noise CMOS image sensors (CISs). This paper reveals how the column CMS circuits, together with a pixel having a high-conversion-gain charge detector and low-noise transistor, realizes deep sub-electron read noise levels based on the analysis of noise components in the signal readout chain from a pixel to the column analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The noise measurement results of experimental CISs are compared with the noise analysis and the effect of noise reduction to the sampling number is discussed at the deep sub-electron level. Images taken with three CMS gains of two, 16, and 128 show distinct advantage of image contrast for the gain of 128 (noise(median): 0.29 e−rms) when compared with the CMS gain of two (2.4 e−rms), or 16 (1.1 e−rms). PMID:27827972

Equipment and New Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poitras, Adrian W., Ed.

1973-01-01

The following items are discussed: Digital Counters and Readout Devices, Automatic Burette Outfits, Noise Exposure System, Helium-Cadmium Laser, New pH Buffers and Flip-Top Dispenser, Voltage Calibrator Transfer Standard, Photomicrographic Stereo Zoom Microscope, Portable pH Meter, Micromanipulators, The Snuffer, Electronic Top-Loading Balances,…

Readout electronics for CBM-TOF super module quality evaluation based on 10 Gbps ethernet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, D.; Cao, P.; Huang, X.; Zheng, J.; Wang, Q.; Li, B.; Li, J.; Liu, S.; An, Q.

2017-07-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter-Time of Flight (CBM-TOF) wall uses high performance of Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC) assembled in super modules to identify charged particles with high channel density and high measurement precision at high event rate. Electronics meet the challenge for reading data out from a super module at high speed of about 6 Gbps in real time. In this paper, the readout electronics for CBM-TOF super module quality evaluation is proposed based on 10 Gigabit Ethernet. The digitized TOF data from one super module will be concentrated at the front-end electronics residing on the side of the super module and transmitted to an extreme speed readout module (XSRM) housed in the backend crate through the PCI Express (PCIe) protocol via optic channels. Eventually, the XSRM transmits data to the data acquisition (DAQ) system through four 10 Gbps Ethernet ports in real time. This readout structure has advantages of high performance and expansibility. Furthermore, it is easy to operate. Test results on the prototype show that the overall data readout performance for each XSRM can reach up to 28.8 Gbps, which means XSRM can meet the requirement of reading data out from 4 super modules with 1280 channels in real time.

Latest generation of ASICs for photodetector readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seguin-Moreau, N.

2013-08-01

The OMEGA microelectronics group has designed a new generation of multichannel integrated circuits, the "ROC" family, in AustrianMicroSystem (AMS) SiGe 0.35 μm technology to read out signals from various families of photodetectors. The chip named MAROC (standing for Multi Anode ReadOut Chip) has been designed to read out MultiAnode Photomultipliers (MAPMT), Photomultiplier ARray In SiGe ReadOut Chip (PARISROC) to read out Photomultipliers (PMTs) and SiPM Integrated ReadOut Chip (SPIROC) to readout Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) detectors and which was the first ASIC to do so. The three of them fulfill the stringent requirements of the future photodetectors, in particular in terms of low noise, radiation hardness, large dynamic range, high density and high speed while keeping low power thanks to the SiGe technology. These multi-channel ASICs are real System on Chip (SoC) as they provide charge, time and photon-counting information which are digitized internally. Their complexity and versatility enable innovative frontier detectors and also cover spin off of these detectors in adjacent fields such as medical or material imaging as well as smart detectors. In this presentation, the three ASIC architectures and test results will be described to give a general panorama of the "ROC" chips.

Online readout and control unit for high-speed/high resolution readout of silicon tracking detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bürger, J.; Hansen, K.; Lange, W.; Nowak, T.; Prell, S.; Zimmermann, W.

1997-02-01

We are describing a high speed VME readout and control module developed and presently working at the H1 experiment at DESY in Hamburg. It has the capability to read out 4 × 2048 analogue data channels at sampling rates up to 10 MHz with a dynamic input range of 1 V. The nominal resolution of the A/D converters can be adjusted between 8 and 12 bit. At the latter resolution we obtain signal-to-noise ratio better than 61.4 dB at a conversion rate of 5 MSps. At this data rate all 8192 detector channels can be read out to the internal raw data memory and VME interface within about 410 μs and 510 μs, respectively. The pedestal subtracted signals can be analyzed on-line. At a raw data hit occupation of 10%, the VME readout time is 50 μs per module. Each module provides four complementary CMOS signals to control the front-end electronics and four independent sets of power supplies for analogue and digital voltages (10 V, 100 mA) to drive the front-end electronics and for the bias voltage (100 V, 1.2 mA) to assure the full functionality of the detectors and the readout.

Crack displacement sensing and measurement in concrete using circular grating moire fringes and pattern matching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, H. M.; Yen, K. S.; Ratnam, M. M.

2008-09-01

The moire method has been extensively studied in the past and applied in various engineering applications. Several techniques are available for generating the moire fringes in these applications, which include moire interferometry, projection moire, shadow moire, moire deflectometry etc. Most of these methods use the superposition of linear gratings to generate the moire patterns. The use of non-linear gratings, such as circular, radial and elongated gratings has received less attention from the research community. The potential of non-linear gratings in engineering measurement has been realized in a limited number of applications, such as rotation measurement, measurement of linear displacement, measurement of expansion coefficients of materials and measurement of strain distribution. In this work, circular gratings of different pitch were applied to the sensing and measurement of crack displacement in concrete structures. Gratings of pitch 0.50 mm and 0.55 mm were generated using computer software and attached to two overlapping acrylic plates that were bonded to either side of the crack. The resulting moire patterns were captured using a standard digital camera and compared with a set of reference patterns generated using a precision positioning stage. Using several image pre-processing stages, such as filtering and morphological operations, and pattern matching the magnitude displacements along two orthogonal axes can be detected with a resolution of 0.05 mm.

Fast wire per wire X-ray data acquisition system for time-resolved small angle scattering experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Epstein, A.; Briquet-Laugier, F.; Sheldon, S.; Boulin, C.

2000-04-01

Most of the X-ray multi-wire gas detectors used at the EMBL Hamburg outstation for time-resolved studies of biological samples are readout, using the delay line method. The main disadvantage of such readout systems is their event rate limitation introduced by the delay line and the required time to digital conversion step. They also lack the possibility to deal with multiple events. To overcome these limitations, a new approach for the complete readout system was introduced. The new linear detection system is based on the wire per wire approach where each individual wire is associated to preamplifier/discriminator/counter electronics channel. High-density, front-end electronics were designed around a fast current sensitive preamplifier. An eight-channel board was designed to include the preamplifiers-discriminators and the differential ECL drivers output stages. The detector front-end consists of 25 boards directly mounted inside the detector assembly. To achieve a time framing resolution as short as 10 /spl mu/s, very fast histogramming is required. The only way to implement this for a high number of channels (200 in our case) is by using a distributed system. The digital part of the system consists of a crate controller, up to 16 acquisition boards (capable of handling fast histogramming for up to 32-channels each) and an optical-link board (based on the Cypress "Hot-Link" chip set). Both the crate controller and the acquisition boards are based on a standard RISC microcontroller (IDT R3081) plug-in board. At present, a dedicated CAMAC module which we developed is used to interface the digital front-end acquisition crate to the host via the optical link.

A Synthetic Teammate for UAV Applications: A Prospective Look

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

was facilitated by the use of digital readouts for the flight instruments (other than the horizon line and reticle) in the STE, such that the model ...ACT-R returns a digital value for pitch and bank to the model (as reflected in the orientation of the horizon line with respect to the reticle), even...the development of a Situation Model (Zwann & Radvansky , 1998) to ground the n Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) research contract

A front-end readout Detector Board for the OpenPET electronics system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choong, W.-S.; Abu-Nimeh, F.; Moses, W. W.; Peng, Q.; Vu, C. Q.; Wu, J.-Y.

2015-08-01

We present a 16-channel front-end readout board for the OpenPET electronics system. A major task in developing a nuclear medical imaging system, such as a positron emission computed tomograph (PET) or a single-photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT), is the electronics system. While there are a wide variety of detector and camera design concepts, the relatively simple nature of the acquired data allows for a common set of electronics requirements that can be met by a flexible, scalable, and high-performance OpenPET electronics system. The analog signals from the different types of detectors used in medical imaging share similar characteristics, which allows for a common analog signal processing. The OpenPET electronics processes the analog signals with Detector Boards. Here we report on the development of a 16-channel Detector Board. Each signal is digitized by a continuously sampled analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which is processed by a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to extract pulse height information. A leading edge discriminator creates a timing edge that is ``time stamped'' by a time-to-digital converter (TDC) implemented inside the FPGA . This digital information from each channel is sent to an FPGA that services 16 analog channels, and then information from multiple channels is processed by this FPGA to perform logic for crystal lookup, DOI calculation, calibration, etc.

A front-end readout Detector Board for the OpenPET electronics system

DOE PAGES

Choong, W. -S.; Abu-Nimeh, F.; Moses, W. W.; ...

2015-08-12

Here, we present a 16-channel front-end readout board for the OpenPET electronics system. A major task in developing a nuclear medical imaging system, such as a positron emission computed tomograph (PET) or a single-photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT), is the electronics system. While there are a wide variety of detector and camera design concepts, the relatively simple nature of the acquired data allows for a common set of electronics requirements that can be met by a flexible, scalable, and high-performance OpenPET electronics system. The analog signals from the different types of detectors used in medical imaging share similar characteristics, whichmore » allows for a common analog signal processing. The OpenPET electronics processes the analog signals with Detector Boards. Here we report on the development of a 16-channel Detector Board. Each signal is digitized by a continuously sampled analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which is processed by a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to extract pulse height information. A leading edge discriminator creates a timing edge that is "time stamped" by a time-to-digital converter (TDC) implemented inside the FPGA. In conclusion, this digital information from each channel is sent to an FPGA that services 16 analog channels, and then information from multiple channels is processed by this FPGA to perform logic for crystal lookup, DOI calculation, calibration, etc.« less

A Reconfigurable Readout Integrated Circuit for Heterogeneous Display-Based Multi-Sensor Systems

PubMed Central

Park, Kyeonghwan; Kim, Seung Mok; Eom, Won-Jin; Kim, Jae Joon

2017-01-01

This paper presents a reconfigurable multi-sensor interface and its readout integrated circuit (ROIC) for display-based multi-sensor systems, which builds up multi-sensor functions by utilizing touch screen panels. In addition to inherent touch detection, physiological and environmental sensor interfaces are incorporated. The reconfigurable feature is effectively implemented by proposing two basis readout topologies of amplifier-based and oscillator-based circuits. For noise-immune design against various noises from inherent human-touch operations, an alternate-sampling error-correction scheme is proposed and integrated inside the ROIC, achieving a 12-bit resolution of successive approximation register (SAR) of analog-to-digital conversion without additional calibrations. A ROIC prototype that includes the whole proposed functions and data converters was fabricated in a 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process, and its feasibility was experimentally verified to support multiple heterogeneous sensing functions of touch, electrocardiogram, body impedance, and environmental sensors. PMID:28368355

A Reconfigurable Readout Integrated Circuit for Heterogeneous Display-Based Multi-Sensor Systems.

PubMed

Park, Kyeonghwan; Kim, Seung Mok; Eom, Won-Jin; Kim, Jae Joon

2017-04-03

This paper presents a reconfigurable multi-sensor interface and its readout integrated circuit (ROIC) for display-based multi-sensor systems, which builds up multi-sensor functions by utilizing touch screen panels. In addition to inherent touch detection, physiological and environmental sensor interfaces are incorporated. The reconfigurable feature is effectively implemented by proposing two basis readout topologies of amplifier-based and oscillator-based circuits. For noise-immune design against various noises from inherent human-touch operations, an alternate-sampling error-correction scheme is proposed and integrated inside the ROIC, achieving a 12-bit resolution of successive approximation register (SAR) of analog-to-digital conversion without additional calibrations. A ROIC prototype that includes the whole proposed functions and data converters was fabricated in a 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process, and its feasibility was experimentally verified to support multiple heterogeneous sensing functions of touch, electrocardiogram, body impedance, and environmental sensors.

Central Drift Chamber for Belle-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taniguchi, N.

2017-06-01

The Central Drift Chamber (CDC) is the main device for tracking and identification of charged particles for Belle-II experiment. The Belle-II CDC is cylindrical wire chamber with 14336 sense wires, 2.3 m-length and 2.2 m-diameter. The wire chamber and readout electronics have been completely replaced from the Belle CDC. The new readout electronics system must handle higher trigger rate of 30 kHz with less dead time at the design luminosity of 8 × 1035 cm-2s-1. The front-end electronics are located close to detector and send digitized signal through optical fibers. The Amp-Shaper-Discriminator chips, FADC and FPGA are assembled on a single board. Belle-II CDC with readout electronics has been installed successfully in Belle structure in October 2016. We will present overview of the Belle-II CDC and status of commissioning with cosmic ray.

Readout ASICs and Electronics for the 144-channel HAPDs for the Aerogel RICH at Belle II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishida, S.; Adachi, I.; Ikeda, H.; Hara, K.; Iijima, T.; Iwata, S.; Korpar, S.; Križan, P.; Kuroda, E.; Pestotnik, R.; Seljak, A.; Sumiyoshi, T.; Takagaki, H.

The particle identification (PID) device in the endcap of the Belle detector will be upgraded to a ring imaging Cherenkov counter (RICH) using aerogel as a radiator at the Belle II experiment. We develop the electronics to read out the 70,000 channels of hit information from the 144-channel hybrid avalanche photodetectors (HAPD), of the aerogel RICH detector. A readout ASIC is developed to digitize the HAPD signals, and was used in a beam test with the prototype detector. The performance and plan of the ASIC is reported in this study. We have also designed the readout electronics for the aerogel RICH, which consist of front-end boards with the ASICs merger boards to collect data from the front-end boards. A front-end board that fits in the actual available space for the aerogel RICH electronics was produced.

Digital barcodes of suspension array using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

PubMed Central

He, Qinghua; Liu, Yixi; He, Yonghong; Zhu, Liang; Zhang, Yilong; Shen, Zhiyuan

2016-01-01

We show a coding method of suspension array based on the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which promotes the barcodes from analog to digital. As the foundation of digital optical barcodes, nanocrystals encoded microspheres are prepared with self-assembly encapsulation method. We confirm that digital multiplexing of LIBS-based coding method becomes feasible since the microsphere can be coded with direct read-out data of wavelengths, and the method can avoid fluorescence signal crosstalk between barcodes and analyte tags, which lead to overall advantages in accuracy and stability to current fluorescent multicolor coding method. This demonstration increases the capability of multiplexed detection and accurate filtrating, expanding more extensive applications of suspension array in life science. PMID:27808270

Readout characteristics of a minute aperture-mounted optical head slider flying above a submicron wide metal patterned medium track

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohkubo, Toshifumi; Hirota, Terunao; Oumi, Manabu; Hirata, Masakazu; Nakajima, Kunio

2004-10-01

Advances in a digital network society require both higher densities and higher transfer rates in all sorts of storage devices. In optical recording, the trend toward higher recording density and larger storage capacity requires novel surface recording technologies that would drastically improve recording density. To satisfy these severe requirements, we have already proposed a compact integrated optical head slider assembly for proximity optical recording based on the "near field principle". Using the optical head slider, we have successfully demonstrated readout signals from 200 to 150-nm-long bit patterns at frequency bands up to approximately 10 MHz. However, from the practical point of view, it is quite necessary to evaluate readout signals from patterns of smaller (sub-micron to sub-sub-micron) track width in order to prove high-density recording potential. In this paper, we have investigated tracking accuracy characteristics utilizing sub-micron sized alternate patterns of 1-mm length formed in a straight line in the circumferential direction of the medium. Arranging precisely the head's relative position to these recorded patterns, we have successfully obtained readout signals just crossing the sub-micron line-and-space pattern's boundaries. Assuming that an aperture runs along an accurate trajectory of the arc of a circle, readout signal amplitude variations when crossing the pattern edge at a right angle have precisely predicted. Also, the influences of track width on maximum readout signal intensity and tracking sensitivity are discussed in detail.

Readout Strategy of an Electro-optical Coupled PET Detector for Time-of-Flight PET/MRI

PubMed Central

Bieniosek, M F; Olcott, P D; Levin, C S

2013-01-01

Combining PET with MRI in a single system provides clinicians with complementary molecular and anatomical information. However, existing integrated PET/MRI systems do not have time-of-flight PET capabilities. This work describes an MRI-compatible front-end electronic system with ToF capabilities. The approach employs a fast arrival-time pickoff comparator to digitize the timing information, and a laser diode to drive a 10m fiber-optic cable to optically transmit asynchronous timing information to a photodiode receiver readout system. The comparator and this electo-optical link show a combined 11.5ps fwhm jitter in response to a fast digital pulse. When configured with LYSO scintillation crystals and Hamamatsu MPPC silicon photo-multipliers the comparator and electro-optical link achieved a 511keV coincidence time resolution of 254.7ps +/− 8.0ps fwhm with 3×3×20mm crystals and 166.5 +/− 2.5ps fwhm with 3×3×5mm crystals. PMID:24061218

Front-end multiplexing—applied to SQUID multiplexing: Athena X-IFU and QUBIC experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prele, D.

2015-08-01

As we have seen for digital camera market and a sensor resolution increasing to "megapixels", all the scientific and high-tech imagers (whatever the wave length - from radio to X-ray range) tends also to always increases the pixels number. So the constraints on front-end signals transmission increase too. An almost unavoidable solution to simplify integration of large arrays of pixels is front-end multiplexing. Moreover, "simple" and "efficient" techniques allow integration of read-out multiplexers in the focal plane itself. For instance, CCD (Charge Coupled Device) technology has boost number of pixels in digital camera. Indeed, this is exactly a planar technology which integrates both the sensors and a front-end multiplexed readout. In this context, front-end multiplexing techniques will be discussed for a better understanding of their advantages and their limits. Finally, the cases of astronomical instruments in the millimeter and in the X-ray ranges using SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) will be described.

A low-noise CMOS pixel direct charge sensor, Topmetal-II-

DOE PAGES

An, Mangmang; Chen, Chufeng; Gao, Chaosong; ...

2015-12-12

In this paper, we report the design and characterization of a CMOS pixel direct charge sensor, Topmetal-II-, fabricated in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS Integrated Circuit process. The sensor utilizes exposed metal patches on top of each pixel to directly collect charge. Each pixel contains a low-noise charge-sensitive preamplifier to establish the analog signal and a discriminator with tunable threshold to generate hits. The analog signal from each pixel is accessible through time-shared multiplexing over the entire array. Hits are read out digitally through a column-based priority logic structure. Tests show that the sensor achieved a <15e - analog noisemore » and a 200e - minimum threshold for digital readout per pixel. The sensor is capable of detecting both electrons and ions drifting in gas. Lastly, these characteristics enable its use as the charge readout device in future Time Projection Chambers without gaseous gain mechanism, which has unique advantages in low background and low rate-density experiments.« less

The readout chain for the bar PANDA MVD strip detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnell, R.; Brinkmann, K.-Th.; Di Pietro, V.; Kleines, H.; Goerres, A.; Riccardi, A.; Rivetti, A.; Rolo, M. D.; Sohlbach, H.; Zaunick, H.-G.

2015-02-01

The bar PANDA (antiProton ANnihilation at DArmstadt) experiment will study the strong interaction in annihilation reactions between an antiproton beam and a stationary gas jet target. The detector will comprise different sub-detectors for tracking, particle identification and calorimetry. The Micro-Vertex Detector (MVD) as the innermost part of the tracking system will allow precise tracking and detection of secondary vertices. For the readout of the double-sided silicon strip sensors a custom-made ASIC is being developed, employing the Time-over-Threshold (ToT) technique for digitization and utilize time-to-digital converters (TDC) to provide a high-precision time stamp of the hit. A custom-made Module Data Concentrator ASIC (MDC) will multiplex the data of all front-ends of one sensor towards the CERN-developed GBT chip set (GigaBit Transceiver). The MicroTCA-based MVD Multiplexer Board (MMB) at the off-detector site will receive and concentrate the data from the GBT links and transfer it to FPGA-based compute nodes for global event building.

Low-Latency Digital Signal Processing for Feedback and Feedforward in Quantum Computing and Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salathé, Yves; Kurpiers, Philipp; Karg, Thomas; Lang, Christian; Andersen, Christian Kraglund; Akin, Abdulkadir; Krinner, Sebastian; Eichler, Christopher; Wallraff, Andreas

2018-03-01

Quantum computing architectures rely on classical electronics for control and readout. Employing classical electronics in a feedback loop with the quantum system allows us to stabilize states, correct errors, and realize specific feedforward-based quantum computing and communication schemes such as deterministic quantum teleportation. These feedback and feedforward operations are required to be fast compared to the coherence time of the quantum system to minimize the probability of errors. We present a field-programmable-gate-array-based digital signal processing system capable of real-time quadrature demodulation, a determination of the qubit state, and a generation of state-dependent feedback trigger signals. The feedback trigger is generated with a latency of 110 ns with respect to the timing of the analog input signal. We characterize the performance of the system for an active qubit initialization protocol based on the dispersive readout of a superconducting qubit and discuss potential applications in feedback and feedforward algorithms.

Development of a high-resolution automatic digital (urine/electrolytes) flow volume and rate measurement system of miniature size

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, F. F.

1975-01-01

To aid in the quantitative analysis of man's physiological rhythms, a flowmeter to measure circadian patterns of electrolyte excretion during various environmental stresses was developed. One initial flowmeter was designed and fabricated, the sensor of which is the approximate size of a wristwatch. The detector section includes a special type of dielectric integrating type sensor which automatically controls, activates, and deactivates the flow sensor data output by determining the presence or absence of fluid flow in the system, including operation under zero-G conditions. The detector also provides qualitative data on the composition of the fluid. A compact electronic system was developed to indicate flow rate as well as total volume per release or the cumulative volume of several releases in digital/analog forms suitable for readout or telemetry. A suitable data readout instrument is also provided. Calibration and statistical analyses of the performance functions required of the flowmeter were also conducted.

Recording and reading of information on optical disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouwhuis, G.; Braat, J. J. M.

In the storage of information, related to video programs, in a spiral track on a disk, difficulties arise because the bandwidth for video is much greater than for audio signals. An attractive solution was found in optical storage. The optical noncontact method is free of wear, and allows for fast random access. Initial problems regarding a suitable light source could be overcome with the aid of appropriate laser devices. The basic concepts of optical storage on disks are treated insofar as they are relevant for the optical arrangement. A general description is provided of a video, a digital audio, and a data storage system. Scanning spot microscopy for recording and reading of optical disks is discussed, giving attention to recording of the signal, the readout of optical disks, the readout of digitally encoded signals, and cross talk. Tracking systems are also considered, taking into account the generation of error signals for radial tracking and the generation of focus error signals.

A low-noise CMOS pixel direct charge sensor, Topmetal-II-

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

An, Mangmang; Chen, Chufeng; Gao, Chaosong

In this paper, we report the design and characterization of a CMOS pixel direct charge sensor, Topmetal-II-, fabricated in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS Integrated Circuit process. The sensor utilizes exposed metal patches on top of each pixel to directly collect charge. Each pixel contains a low-noise charge-sensitive preamplifier to establish the analog signal and a discriminator with tunable threshold to generate hits. The analog signal from each pixel is accessible through time-shared multiplexing over the entire array. Hits are read out digitally through a column-based priority logic structure. Tests show that the sensor achieved a <15e - analog noisemore » and a 200e - minimum threshold for digital readout per pixel. The sensor is capable of detecting both electrons and ions drifting in gas. Lastly, these characteristics enable its use as the charge readout device in future Time Projection Chambers without gaseous gain mechanism, which has unique advantages in low background and low rate-density experiments.« less

The anti-counterfeiting hologram of encryption processing in frequency domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Nai K.; Chen, Zhongyu Y.

2004-09-01

This paper proposed a new encryption method using Computer Generated Fourier Hologram in frequency domain. When the main frequency spectrum, i.e. brand and an encrypted information frequency spectrum are mixed, it will not recognized and copied. We will use the methods of Dot Matrix (Digital) Hologram Modulation and the filter to get real signal. One new multi-modulated dot matrix hologram is introduced. It is encoded using several gratings. These gratings have different angles of inclination and different periods in same dot, to enable us in obtaining more information.

Applications of Digitized 3-D Position-Sensitive CdZnTe Spectrometers for National Security and Nuclear Nonproliferation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streicher, Michael W.

A nuclear weapon detonation remains one of the gravest threats to the global community. Although the likelihood of a nuclear event remains small, the economic and political ramifications of an event are vast. The surest way to reduce the probability of an incident is to account for the special nuclear materials (SNM) which can be used to produce a nuclear weapon. Materials which can be used to manufacture a radiological dispersion device ("dirty bomb") must also be monitored. Rapidly-deployable, commercially-available, room-temperature imaging gamma-ray spectrometers are improving the ability of authorities to intelligently and quickly respond to threats. New electronics which digitally-sample the radiation-induced signals in CdZnTe detectors have expanded the capabilities of these sensors. This thesis explores national security applications where digital readout of CdZnTe detectors significantly enhances capabilities. Radioactive sources can be detected more quickly using digitally-sampled CdZnTe detector due to the improved energy resolution. The excellent energy resolution also improves the accuracy of measurements of uranium enrichment and allows users to measure plutonium grade. Small differences in the recorded gamma-ray energy spectrum can be used to estimate the effective atomic number and mass thickness of materials shielding SNM sources. Improved position resolution of gamma-ray interactions through digital readout allows high resolution gamma-ray images of SNM revealing information about the source configuration. CdZnTe sensors can detect the presence of neutrons, indirectly, through measurement of gamma rays released during capture of thermal neutrons by Cd-113 or inelastic scattering with any constituent nuclei. Fast neutrons, such as those released following fission, can be directly detected through elastic scattering interactions in the detector. Neutrons are a strong indicator of fissile material, and the background neutron rate is much lower than the gamma-ray background rate. Neutrons can more easily penetrate shielding materials as well which can greatly aid in the detection of shielded SNM. Digital CdZnTe readout enables the sensors to maintain excellent energy resolution at high count rates. Pulse pile-up and preamplifier decay can be monitored and corrected for on an event-by-event basis limiting energy resolution degradation in dose rates higher than 100 mR/hr. Finally, new iterations of the digital electronics have enhanced gamma-ray detection capabilities at high photon energies. Currently, gamma rays with energy up to 4.4 MeV have been detected. High-energy photon detection is critical for many proposed active interrogation systems.

Recent X-ray hybrid CMOS detector developments and measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hull, Samuel V.; Falcone, Abraham D.; Burrows, David N.; Wages, Mitchell; Chattopadhyay, Tanmoy; McQuaide, Maria; Bray, Evan; Kern, Matthew

2017-08-01

The Penn State X-ray detector lab, in collaboration with Teledyne Imaging Sensors (TIS), have progressed their efforts to improve soft X-ray Hybrid CMOS detector (HCD) technology on multiple fronts. Having newly acquired a Teledyne cryogenic SIDECARTM ASIC for use with HxRG devices, measurements were performed with an H2RG HCD and the cooled SIDECARTM. We report new energy resolution and read noise measurements, which show a significant improvement over room temperature SIDECARTM operation. Further, in order to meet the demands of future high-throughput and high spatial resolution X-ray observatories, detectors with fast readout and small pixel sizes are being developed. We report on characteristics of new X-ray HCDs with 12.5 micron pitch that include in-pixel CDS circuitry and crosstalk-eliminating CTIA amplifiers. In addition, PSU and TIS are developing a new large-scale array Speedster-EXD device. The original 64 × 64 pixel Speedster-EXD prototype used comparators in each pixel to enable event driven readout with order of magnitude higher effective readout rates, which will now be implemented in a 550 × 550 pixel device. Finally, the detector lab is involved in a sounding rocket mission that is slated to fly in 2018 with an off-plane reflection grating array and an H2RG X-ray HCD. We report on the planned detector configuration for this mission, which will increase the NASA technology readiness level of X-ray HCDs to TRL 9.

The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, VIII: The MIRI Focal Plane System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ressler, M. E.; Sukhatme, K. G.; Franklin, B. R.; Mahoney, J. C.; Thelen, M. P.; Bouchet, P.; Colbert, J. W.; Cracraft, Misty; Dicken, D.; Gastaud, R.; Goodson, G. B.; Eccleston, Paul; Moreau, V.; Rieke, G. H.; Schneider, Analyn

2015-07-01

We describe the layout and unique features of the focal plane system for MIRI. We begin with the detector array and its readout integrated circuit (combining the amplifier unit cells and the multiplexer), the electronics, and the steps by which the data collection is controlled and the output signals are digitized and delivered to the JWST spacecraft electronics system. We then discuss the operation of this MIRI data system, including detector readout patterns, operation of subarrays, and data formats. Finally, we summarize the performance of the system, including remaining anomalies that need to be corrected in the data pipeline.

A new MicroTCA-based waveform digitizer for the Muon g-2 experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sweigart, David A.

We present the design of a newmore » $$\\mu$$TCA-based waveform digitizer, which will be deployed in the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab and will allow our pileup identification requirement to be met. This digitizer features five independent channels, each with 12-bit, 800-MSPS digitization and a 1-Gbit memory buffer. The data storage and readout along with configuration are handled by six Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGAs. In addition, the digitizer is equipped with a mezzanine card for analog signal conditioning prior to digitization, further widening its range of possible applications. The performance results of this design are also presented, highlighting its $$0.51 \\pm 0.13$$ mV intrinsic noise level and $< 22$ ps intrinsic timing resolution between channels. We believe that its performance, together with its flexible design, could be of interest to future experiments in search of a cost-effective waveform digitizer.« less

Phase-locked tracking loops for LORAN-C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burhans, R. W.

1978-01-01

Portable battery operated LORAN-C receivers were fabricated to evaluate simple envelope detector methods with hybrid analog to digital phase locked loop sensor processors. The receivers are used to evaluate LORAN-C in general aviation applications. Complete circuit details are given for the experimental sensor and readout system.

Digital Microarrays: Single-Molecule Readout with Interferometric Detection of Plasmonic Nanorod Labels.

PubMed

Sevenler, Derin; Daaboul, George G; Ekiz Kanik, Fulya; Ünlü, Neşe Lortlar; Ünlü, M Selim

2018-05-21

DNA and protein microarrays are a high-throughput technology that allow the simultaneous quantification of tens of thousands of different biomolecular species. The mediocre sensitivity and limited dynamic range of traditional fluorescence microarrays compared to other detection techniques have been the technology's Achilles' heel and prevented their adoption for many biomedical and clinical diagnostic applications. Previous work to enhance the sensitivity of microarray readout to the single-molecule ("digital") regime have either required signal amplifying chemistry or sacrificed throughput, nixing the platform's primary advantages. Here, we report the development of a digital microarray which extends both the sensitivity and dynamic range of microarrays by about 3 orders of magnitude. This technique uses functionalized gold nanorods as single-molecule labels and an interferometric scanner which can rapidly enumerate individual nanorods by imaging them with a 10× objective lens. This approach does not require any chemical signal enhancement such as silver deposition and scans arrays with a throughput similar to commercial fluorescence scanners. By combining single-nanoparticle enumeration and ensemble measurements of spots when the particles are very dense, this system achieves a dynamic range of about 6 orders of magnitude directly from a single scan. As a proof-of-concept digital protein microarray assay, we demonstrated detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen in buffer with a limit of detection of 3.2 pg/mL. More broadly, the technique's simplicity and high-throughput nature make digital microarrays a flexible platform technology with a wide range of potential applications in biomedical research and clinical diagnostics.

High-resolution laser-projection display system using a grating electromechanical system (GEMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazas, John C.; Kowarz, Marek W.

2004-01-01

Eastman Kodak Company has developed a diffractive-MEMS spatial-light modulator for use in printing and display applications, the grating electromechanical system (GEMS). This modulator contains a linear array of pixels capable of high-speed digital operation, high optical contrast, and good efficiency. The device operation is based on deflection of electromechanical ribbons suspended above a silicon substrate by a series of intermediate supports. When electrostatically actuated, the ribbons conform to the supporting substructure to produce a surface-relief phase grating over a wide active region. The device is designed to be binary, switching between a reflective mirror state having suspended ribbons and a diffractive grating state having ribbons in contact with substrate features. Switching times of less than 50 nanoseconds with sub-nanosecond jitter are made possible by reliable contact-mode operation. The GEMS device can be used as a high-speed digital-optical modulator for a laser-projection display system by collecting the diffracted orders and taking advantage of the low jitter. A color channel is created using a linear array of individually addressable GEMS pixels. A two-dimensional image is produced by sweeping the line image of the array, created by the projection optics, across the display screen. Gray levels in the image are formed using pulse-width modulation (PWM). A high-resolution projection display was developed using three 1080-pixel devices illuminated by red, green, and blue laser-color primaries. The result is an HDTV-format display capable of producing stunning still and motion images with very wide color gamut.

Dynamic tracking down-conversion signal processing method based on reference signal for grating heterodyne interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guochao; Yan, Shuhua; Zhou, Weihong; Gu, Chenhui

2012-08-01

Traditional displacement measurement systems by grating, which purely make use of fringe intensity to implement fringe count and subdivision, have rigid demands for signal quality and measurement condition, so they are not easy to realize measurement with nanometer precision. Displacement measurement with the dual-wavelength and single-grating design takes advantage of the single grating diffraction theory and the heterodyne interference theory, solving quite well the contradiction between large range and high precision in grating displacement measurement. To obtain nanometer resolution and nanometer precision, high-power subdivision of interference fringes must be realized accurately. A dynamic tracking down-conversion signal processing method based on the reference signal is proposed. Accordingly, a digital phase measurement module to realize high-power subdivision on field programmable gate array (FPGA) was designed, as well as a dynamic tracking down-conversion module using phase-locked loop (PLL). Experiments validated that a carrier signal after down-conversion can constantly maintain close to 100 kHz, and the phase-measurement resolution and phase precision are more than 0.05 and 0.2 deg, respectively. The displacement resolution and the displacement precision, corresponding to the phase results, are 0.139 and 0.556 nm, respectively.

Reliable and redundant FPGA based read-out design in the ATLAS TileCal Demonstrator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akerstedt, Henrik; Muschter, Steffen; Drake, Gary

The Tile Calorimeter at ATLAS [1] is a hadron calorimeter based on steel plates and scintillating tiles read out by PMTs. The current read-out system uses standard ADCs and custom ASICs to digitize and temporarily store the data on the detector. However, only a subset of the data is actually read out to the counting room. The on-detector electronics will be replaced around 2023. To achieve the required reliability the upgraded system will be highly redundant. Here the ASICs will be replaced with Kintex-7 FPGAs from Xilinx. This, in addition to the use of multiple 10 Gbps optical read-out links,more » will allow a full read-out of all detector data. Due to the higher radiation levels expected when the beam luminosity is increased, opportunities for repairs will be less frequent. The circuitry and firmware must therefore be designed for sufficiently high reliability using redundancy and radiation tolerant components. Within a year, a hybrid demonstrator including the new readout system will be installed in one slice of the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter. This will allow the proposed upgrade to be thoroughly evaluated well before the planned 2023 deployment in all slices, especially with regard to long term reliability. Different firmware strategies alongside with their integration in the demonstrator are presented in the context of high reliability protection against hardware malfunction and radiation induced errors.« less

Demonstration of holographic smart card system using the optical memory technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, JungHoi; Choi, JaeKwang; An, JunWon; Kim, Nam; Lee, KwonYeon; Jeon, SeckHee

2003-05-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the holographic smart card system using digital holographic memory technique that uses reference beam encrypted by the random phase mask to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the stored digital page. The input data that include document data, a picture of face, and a fingerprint for identification is encoded digitally and then coupled with the reference beam modulated by a random phase mask. Therefore, this proposed system can execute recording in the order of MB~GB and readout all personal information from just one card without any additional database system. Also, recorded digital holograms can't be reconstructed without a phase key and can't be copied by using computers, scanners, or photography.

A digital front-end and readout microsystem for calorimetry at LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alippi, C.; Appelquist, G.; Berglund, S.; Bohm, C.; Breveglieri, L.; Brigati, S.; Carlson, P.; Cattaneo, P.; Dadda, L.; David, J.; Del Buono, L.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Engström, M.; Fumagalli, G.; Gatti, U.; Genat, J. F.; Goggi, G.; Hansen, M.; Hentzell, H.; Höglund, I.; Inkinen, S.; Kerek, A.; Lebbolo, H.; LeDortz, O.; Lofstedt, B.; Maloberti, F.; Nayman, P.; Persson, S.-T.; Piuri, V.; Salice, F.; Sami, M.; Savoy-Navarro, A.; Stefanelli, R.; Sundblad, R.; Svensson, C.; Torelli, G.; Vanuxem, J. P.; Yamdagni, N.; Yuan, J.; Zitoun, R.

1994-04-01

A digital solution to the front-end electronics for calorimetric detectors at future supercolliders is presented. The solution is based on high speed {A}/{D} converters, a fully programmable pipeline/digital filter chain and local intelligence. Questions of error correction, fault-tolerance and system redundancy are also being considered. A system integration of a multichannel device in a multichip, Silicon-on-Silicon Microsystem hybrid, is used. This solution allows a new level of integration of complex analogue and digital functions, with an excellent flexibility in mixing technologies for the different functional blocks. It also allows a high degree of programmability at both the function and the system level, and offers the possibility of customising the microsystem with detector-specific functions.

Large Format, Background Limited Arrays of Kinetic Inductance Detectors for Sub-mm Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baselmans, Jochem

2018-01-01

We present the development of large format imaging arrays for sub-mm astronomy based upon microwave Kinetic Inductance detectors and their read-out. In particular we focus on the arrays developed for the A-MKID instrument for the APEX telescope. AMKID contains 2 focal plane arrays, covering a field of view of 15?x15?. One array is optimized for the 350 GHz telluric window, the other for the 850 GHz window. Both arrays are constructed from four 61 x 61 mm detector chips, each of which contains up to 3400 detectors and up to 880 detectors per readout line. The detectors are lens antenna coupled MKIDs made from NbTiN and Aluminium that reach photon noise limited sensitivity in combination with a high optical coupling. The lens-antenna radiation coupling enables the use of 4K optics and Lyot stop due to the intrinsic directivity of the detector beam, allowing a simple cryogenic architecture. We discuss the pixel design and verification, detector packaging and the array performance. We will also discuss the readout system, which is a combination of a digital and analog back-end that can read-out up to 4000 pixels simultaneously using frequency division multiplexing.

Frequency multiplexed superconducting quantum interference device readout of large bolometer arrays for cosmic microwave background measurements.

PubMed

Dobbs, M A; Lueker, M; Aird, K A; Bender, A N; Benson, B A; Bleem, L E; Carlstrom, J E; Chang, C L; Cho, H-M; Clarke, J; Crawford, T M; Crites, A T; Flanigan, D I; de Haan, T; George, E M; Halverson, N W; Holzapfel, W L; Hrubes, J D; Johnson, B R; Joseph, J; Keisler, R; Kennedy, J; Kermish, Z; Lanting, T M; Lee, A T; Leitch, E M; Luong-Van, D; McMahon, J J; Mehl, J; Meyer, S S; Montroy, T E; Padin, S; Plagge, T; Pryke, C; Richards, P L; Ruhl, J E; Schaffer, K K; Schwan, D; Shirokoff, E; Spieler, H G; Staniszewski, Z; Stark, A A; Vanderlinde, K; Vieira, J D; Vu, C; Westbrook, B; Williamson, R

2012-07-01

A technological milestone for experiments employing transition edge sensor bolometers operating at sub-Kelvin temperature is the deployment of detector arrays with 100s-1000s of bolometers. One key technology for such arrays is readout multiplexing: the ability to read out many sensors simultaneously on the same set of wires. This paper describes a frequency-domain multiplexed readout system which has been developed for and deployed on the APEX-SZ and South Pole Telescope millimeter wavelength receivers. In this system, the detector array is divided into modules of seven detectors, and each bolometer within the module is biased with a unique ∼MHz sinusoidal carrier such that the individual bolometer signals are well separated in frequency space. The currents from all bolometers in a module are summed together and pre-amplified with superconducting quantum interference devices operating at 4 K. Room temperature electronics demodulate the carriers to recover the bolometer signals, which are digitized separately and stored to disk. This readout system contributes little noise relative to the detectors themselves, is remarkably insensitive to unwanted microphonic excitations, and provides a technology pathway to multiplexing larger numbers of sensors.

A scalable diffraction-based scanning 3D colour video display as demonstrated by using tiled gratings and a vertical diffuser.

PubMed

Jia, Jia; Chen, Jhensi; Yao, Jun; Chu, Daping

2017-03-17

A high quality 3D display requires a high amount of optical information throughput, which needs an appropriate mechanism to distribute information in space uniformly and efficiently. This study proposes a front-viewing system which is capable of managing the required amount of information efficiently from a high bandwidth source and projecting 3D images with a decent size and a large viewing angle at video rate in full colour. It employs variable gratings to support a high bandwidth distribution. This concept is scalable and the system can be made compact in size. A horizontal parallax only (HPO) proof-of-concept system is demonstrated by projecting holographic images from a digital micro mirror device (DMD) through rotational tiled gratings before they are realised on a vertical diffuser for front-viewing.

Photopolymerizable nanocomposite photonic materials and their holographic applications in light and neutron optics

PubMed Central

Tomita, Yasuo; Hata, Eiji; Momose, Keisuke; Takayama, Shingo; Liu, Xiangming; Chikama, Katsumi; Klepp, Jürgen; Pruner, Christian; Fally, Martin

2016-01-01

We present an overview of recent investigations of photopolymerizable nanocomposite photonic materials in which, thanks to their high degree of material selectivity, recorded volume gratings possess high refractive index modulation amplitude and high mechanical/thermal stability at the same time, providing versatile applications in light and neutron optics. We discuss the mechanism of grating formation in holographically exposed nanocomposite materials, based on a model of the photopolymerization-driven mutual diffusion of monomer and nanoparticles. Experimental inspection of the recorded grating’s morphology by various physicochemical and optical methods is described. We then outline the holographic recording properties of volume gratings recorded in photopolymerizable nanocomposite materials consisting of inorganic/organic nanoparticles and monomers having various photopolymerization mechanisms. Finally, we show two examples of our holographic applications, holographic digital data storage and slow-neutron beam control. PMID:27594769

Fast, High-Precision Readout Circuit for Detector Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rider, David M.; Hancock, Bruce R.; Key, Richard W.; Cunningham, Thomas J.; Wrigley, Chris J.; Seshadri, Suresh; Sander, Stanley P.; Blavier, Jean-Francois L.

2013-01-01

The GEO-CAPE mission described in NASA's Earth Science and Applications Decadal Survey requires high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution measurements to monitor and characterize the rapidly changing chemistry of the troposphere over North and South Americas. High-frame-rate focal plane arrays (FPAs) with many pixels are needed to enable such measurements. A high-throughput digital detector readout integrated circuit (ROIC) that meets the GEO-CAPE FPA needs has been developed, fabricated, and tested. The ROIC is based on an innovative charge integrating, fast, high-precision analog-to-digital circuit that is built into each pixel. The 128×128-pixel ROIC digitizes all 16,384 pixels simultaneously at frame rates up to 16 kHz to provide a completely digital output on a single integrated circuit at an unprecedented rate of 262 million pixels per second. The approach eliminates the need for off focal plane electronics, greatly reducing volume, mass, and power compared to conventional FPA implementations. A focal plane based on this ROIC will require less than 2 W of power on a 1×1-cm integrated circuit. The ROIC is fabricated of silicon using CMOS technology. It is designed to be indium bump bonded to a variety of detector materials including silicon PIN diodes, indium antimonide (InSb), indium gallium arsenide (In- GaAs), and mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) detector arrays to provide coverage over a broad spectral range in the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet spectral ranges.

First light on a new fully digital camera based on SiPM for CTA SST-1M telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

della Volpe, Domenico; Al Samarai, Imen; Alispach, Cyril; Bulik, Tomasz; Borkowski, Jerzy; Cadoux, Franck; Coco, Victor; Favre, Yannick; Grudzińska, Mira; Heller, Matthieu; Jamrozy, Marek; Kasperek, Jerzy; Lyard, Etienne; Mach, Emil; Mandat, Dusan; Michałowski, Jerzy; Moderski, Rafal; Montaruli, Teresa; Neronov, Andrii; Niemiec, Jacek; Njoh Ekoume, T. R. S.; Ostrowski, Michal; Paśko, Paweł; Pech, Miroslav; Rajda, Pawel; Rafalski, Jakub; Schovanek, Petr; Seweryn, Karol; Skowron, Krzysztof; Sliusar, Vitalii; Stawarz, Łukasz; Stodulska, Magdalena; Stodulski, Marek; Travnicek, Petr; Troyano Pujadas, Isaac; Walter, Roland; Zagdański, Adam; Zietara, Krzysztof

2017-08-01

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will explore with unprecedented precision the Universe in the gammaray domain covering an energy range from 50 GeV to more the 300 TeV. To cover such a broad range with a sensitivity which will be ten time better than actual instruments, different types of telescopes are needed: the Large Size Telescopes (LSTs), with a ˜24 m diameter mirror, a Medium Size Telescopes (MSTs), with a ˜12 m mirror and the small size telescopes (SSTs), with a ˜4 m diameter mirror. The single mirror small size telescope (SST-1M), one of the proposed solutions to become part of the small-size telescopes of CTA, will be equipped with an innovative camera. The SST-1M has a Davies-Cotton optical design with a mirror dish of 4 m diameter and focal ratio 1.4 focussing the Cherenkov light produced in atmospheric showers onto a 90 cm wide hexagonal camera providing a FoV of 9 degrees. The camera is an innovative design based on silicon photomultipliers (SiPM ) and adopting a fully digital trigger and readout architecture. The camera features 1296 custom designed large area hexagonal SiPM coupled to hollow optical concentrators to achieve a pixel size of almost 2.4 cm. The SiPM is a custom design developed with Hamamatsu and with its active area of almost 1 cm2 is one of the largest monolithic SiPM existing. Also the optical concentrators are innovative being light funnels made of a polycarbonate substrate coated with a custom designed UV-enhancing coating. The analog signals coming from the SiPM are fed into the fully digital readout electronics, where digital data are processed by high-speed FPGAs both for trigger and readout. The trigger logic, implemented into an Virtex 7 FPGA, uses the digital data to elaborate a trigger decision by matching data against predefined patterns. This approach is extremely flexible and allows improvements and continued evolutions of the system. The prototype camera is being tested in laboratory prior to its installation expected in fall 2017 on the telescope prototype in Krakow (Poland). In this contribution, we will describe the design of the camera and show the performance measured in laboratory.

Cross talk and diffraction efficiency in angular multiplexed memories using improved polypeptide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramenah, Harry K.; Bertrand, Paul; Soubari, E. H.; Meyrueis, Patrick

1996-12-01

We studied energy coupling between gratings and angularly multiplexed 20 gratings with a uniform diffraction efficiency within 25 micrometer layer thickness of dichromated gelatin. The dependence of diffraction efficiency on beam ratio is given. We recorded a matrix form memory of nxmxp elements, where n and m are the rows and columns and p the number of multiplexes. For indication only, n equals m equals 10, p equals 20, the surface area of the matrix is 1 cm2. Color diffractive images and digital data are illustrated as well as video, cartography and medical applications.

Resistive Plate Chambers for imaging calorimetry — The DHCAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Repond, J.

2014-09-01

The DHCAL — the Digital Hadron Calorimeter — is a prototype calorimeter based on Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs). The design emphasizes the imaging capabilities of the detector in an effort to optimize the calorimeter for the application of Particle Flow Algorithms (PFAs) to the reconstruction of hadronic jet energies in a colliding beam environment. The readout of the chambers is segmented into 1 × 1 cm2 pads, each read out with a 1-bit (single threshold) resolution. The prototype with approximately 500,000 readout channels underwent extensive testing in both the Fermilab and CERN test beams. This talk presents preliminary findings from the analysis of data collected at the test beams.

Deep frequency modulation interferometry.

PubMed

Gerberding, Oliver

2015-06-01

Laser interferometry with pm/Hz precision and multi-fringe dynamic range at low frequencies is a core technology to measure the motion of various objects (test masses) in space and ground based experiments for gravitational wave detection and geodesy. Even though available interferometer schemes are well understood, their construction remains complex, often involving, for example, the need to build quasi-monolithic optical benches with dozens of components. In recent years techniques have been investigated that aim to reduce this complexity by combining phase modulation techniques with sophisticated digital readout algorithms. This article presents a new scheme that uses strong laser frequency modulations in combination with the deep phase modulation readout algorithm to construct simpler and easily scalable interferometers.

Josephson parametric phase-locked oscillator and its application to dispersive readout of superconducting qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Z. R.; Inomata, K.; Koshino, K.; Oliver, W. D.; Nakamura, Y.; Tsai, J. S.; Yamamoto, T.

2014-07-01

The parametric phase-locked oscillator (PPLO) is a class of frequency-conversion device, originally based on a nonlinear element such as a ferrite ring, that served as a fundamental logic element for digital computers more than 50 years ago. Although it has long since been overtaken by the transistor, there have been numerous efforts more recently to realize PPLOs in different physical systems such as optical photons, trapped atoms, and electromechanical resonators. This renewed interest is based not only on the fundamental physics of nonlinear systems, but also on the realization of new, high-performance computing devices with unprecedented capabilities. Here we realize a PPLO with Josephson-junction circuitry and operate it as a sensitive phase detector. Using a PPLO, we demonstrate the demodulation of a weak binary phase-shift keying microwave signal of the order of a femtowatt. We apply PPLO to dispersive readout of a superconducting qubit, and achieved high-fidelity, single-shot and non-destructive readout with Rabi-oscillation contrast exceeding 90%.

Design and characterization of high precision in-pixel discriminators for rolling shutter CMOS pixel sensors with full CMOS capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Y.; Hu-Guo, C.; Dorokhov, A.; Pham, H.; Hu, Y.

2013-07-01

In order to exploit the ability to integrate a charge collecting electrode with analog and digital processing circuitry down to the pixel level, a new type of CMOS pixel sensors with full CMOS capability is presented in this paper. The pixel array is read out based on a column-parallel read-out architecture, where each pixel incorporates a diode, a preamplifier with a double sampling circuitry and a discriminator to completely eliminate analog read-out bottlenecks. The sensor featuring a pixel array of 8 rows and 32 columns with a pixel pitch of 80 μm×16 μm was fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. The behavior of each pixel-level discriminator isolated from the diode and the preamplifier was studied. The experimental results indicate that all in-pixel discriminators which are fully operational can provide significant improvements in the read-out speed and the power consumption of CMOS pixel sensors.

The E and B EXperiment: EBEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helson, Kyle

2014-03-01

We report on the status of the E and B Experiment (EBEX) a balloon-borne polarimeter designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The instrument employs a 1.5 meter Gregorian Mizuguchi-Dragone telescope providing 8 arc-minute resolution at three bands centered on 150, 250, and 410 GHz. A continuously rotating achromatic half wave plate, mounted on a superconducting magnetic bearing, and a polarizing grid give EBEX polarimetric capabilities. Radiation is detected with a kilo-pixel array of transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers that are cooled to 0.25 K. The detectors are readout using SQUID current amplifiers and a digital frequency-domain multiplexing system in which 16 detectors are readout simultaneously with two wires. EBEX is the first instrument to implement TESs and such readout system on board a balloon-borne platform. EBEX was launched from the Antarctic in December 2012 on an 11-day long-duration balloon flight. This presentation will provide an overview of the instrument and discuss the flight and status of the data analysis.

Optical and x-ray characterization of two novel CMOS image sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohndiek, Sarah E.; Arvanitis, Costas D.; Venanzi, Cristian; Royle, Gary J.; Clark, Andy T.; Crooks, Jamie P.; Prydderch, Mark L.; Turchetta, Renato; Blue, Andrew; Speller, Robert D.

2007-02-01

A UK consortium (MI3) has been founded to develop advanced CMOS pixel designs for scientific applications. Vanilla, a 520x520 array of 25μm pixels benefits from flushed reset circuitry for low noise and random pixel access for region of interest (ROI) readout. OPIC, a 64x72 test structure array of 30μm digital pixels has thresholding capabilities for sparse readout at 3,700fps. Characterization is performed with both optical illumination and x-ray exposure via a scintillator. Vanilla exhibits 34+/-3e - read noise, interactive quantum efficiency of 54% at 500nm and can read a 6x6 ROI at 24,395fps. OPIC has 46+/-3e - read noise and a wide dynamic range of 65dB due to high full well capacity. Based on these characterization studies, Vanilla could be utilized in applications where demands include high spectral response and high speed region of interest readout while OPIC could be used for high speed, high dynamic range imaging.

Novel active signal compression in low-noise analog readout at future X-ray FEL facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manghisoni, M.; Comotti, D.; Gaioni, L.; Lodola, L.; Ratti, L.; Re, V.; Traversi, G.; Vacchi, C.

2015-04-01

This work presents the design of a low-noise front-end implementing a novel active signal compression technique. This feature can be exploited in the design of analog readout channels for application to the next generation free electron laser (FEL) experiments. The readout architecture includes the low-noise charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) with dynamic signal compression, a time variant shaper used to process the signal at the preamplifier output and a 10-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The channel will be operated in such a way to cope with the high frame rate (exceeding 1 MHz) foreseen for future XFEL machines. The choice of a 65 nm CMOS technology has been made in order to include all the building blocks in the target pixel pitch of 100 μm. This work has been carried out in the frame of the PixFEL Project funded by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Italy.

A 1024×768-12μm Digital ROIC for uncooled microbolometer FPAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eminoglu, Selim

2017-02-01

This paper reports the development of a new digital microbolometer Readout Integrated Circuit (D-ROIC), called MT10212BD. It has a format of 1024 × 768 (XGA) and a pixel pitch of 12μm. MT10212BD is Mikro Tasarim's second 12μm pitch microbolometer ROIC, which is developed specifically for surface micro machined microbolometer detector arrays with small pixel pitch using high-TCR pixel materials, such as VOx and a Si. MT10212BD has an alldigital system on-chip architecture, which generates programmable timing and biasing, and performs 14-bit analog to digital conversion (ADC). The signal processing chain in the ROIC is composed of pixel bias circuitry, integrator based programmable gain amplifier followed by column parallel ADC circuitry. MT10212BD has a serial programming interface that can be used to configure the programmable ROIC features and to load the Non-Uniformity-Correction (NUC) date to the ROIC. MT10212BD has a total of 8 high-speed serial digital video outputs, which can be programmed to operate in the 2, 4, and 8-output modes and can support frames rates above 60 fps. The high-speed serial digital outputs supports data rates as high as 400 Mega-bits/s, when operated at 50 MHz system clock frequency. There is an on-chip phase-locked-loop (PLL) based timing circuitry to generate the high speed clocks used in the ROIC. The ROIC is designed to support pixel resistance values ranging from 30KΩ to 90kΩ, with a nominal value of 60KΩ. The ROIC has a globally programmable gain in the column readout, which can be adjusted based on the detector resistance value.

Single beam write and/or replay of spatial heterodyne holograms

DOEpatents

Thomas, Clarence E.; Hanson, Gregory R.

2007-11-20

A method of writing a spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes includes: passing a single write beam through a spatial light modulator that digitally modulates said single write beam; and focusing the single write beam at a focal plane of a lens to impose a holographic diffraction grating pattern on the photorefractive crystal, the holographic diffraction grating pattern including the spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes, wherein only said single write beam is incident on said photorefractive crystal without a reference beam. A method of replaying a spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes at a replay angle includes: illuminating a photorefractive crystal having a holographic diffraction grating with a beam from a laser at an illumination angle, the holographic diffraction grating pattern including the spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes, wherein a difference between said illumination angle and said replay angle defines a diffraction angle .alpha. that is a function of a plane wave mathematically added to original object wave phase and amplitude data of said spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes.

JPL CMOS Active Pixel Sensor Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossum, E. R.

1995-01-01

This paper will present the JPL-developed complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor (APS) technology. The CMOS APS has achieved performance comparable to charge coupled devices, yet features ultra low power operation, random access readout, on-chip timing and control, and on-chip analog to digital conversion. Previously published open literature will be reviewed.

47 CFR 90.494 - Paging operations on shared channels in the 929-930 MHz band.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... under subpart B or C of this part, representatives of Federal Government agencies, individuals, and foreign governments and their representatives. The provisions of § 90.173(b) apply to all frequencies... desired (tone only, tone-voice, digital, tactile, optical readout, etc.). (e) There shall be no minimum or...

CMOS image sensor with organic photoconductive layer having narrow absorption band and proposal of stack type solid-state image sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takada, Shunji; Ihama, Mikio; Inuiya, Masafumi

2006-02-01

Digital still cameras overtook film cameras in Japanese market in 2000 in terms of sales volume owing to their versatile functions. However, the image-capturing capabilities such as sensitivity and latitude of color films are still superior to those of digital image sensors. In this paper, we attribute the cause for the high performance of color films to their multi-layered structure, and propose the solid-state image sensors with stacked organic photoconductive layers having narrow absorption bands on CMOS read-out circuits.

High resolution upgrade of the ATF damping ring BPM system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Terunuma, N.; Urakawa, J.; /KEK, Tsukuba

2008-05-01

A beam position monitor (BPM) upgrade at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) damping ring has been accomplished in its first stage, carried out by a KEK/FNAL/SLAC collaboration under the umbrella of the global ILC R&D effort. The upgrade consists of a high resolution, high reproducibility read-out system, based on analog and digital downconversion techniques, digital signal processing, and also tests a new automatic gain error correction schema. The technical concept and realization, as well as preliminary results of beam studies are presented.

MiniDSS: a low-power and high-precision miniaturized digital sun sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Boer, B. M.; Durkut, M.; Laan, E.; Hakkesteegt, H.; Theuwissen, A.; Xie, N.; Leijtens, J. L.; Urquijo, E.; Bruins, P.

2017-11-01

A high-precision and low-power miniaturized digital sun sensor has been developed at TNO. The single-chip sun sensor comprises an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) on which an active pixel sensor (APS), read-out and processing circuitry as well as communication circuitry are combined. The design was optimized for low recurrent cost. The sensor is albedo insensitive and the prototype combines an accuracy in the order of 0.03° with a mass of just 72 g and a power consumption of only 65 mW.

Automation of fluorescent differential display with digital readout.

PubMed

Meade, Jonathan D; Cho, Yong-Jig; Fisher, Jeffrey S; Walden, Jamie C; Guo, Zhen; Liang, Peng

2006-01-01

Since its invention in 1992, differential display (DD) has become the most commonly used technique for identifying differentially expressed genes because of its many advantages over competing technologies such as DNA microarray, serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE), and subtractive hybridization. Despite the great impact of the method on biomedical research, there has been a lack of automation of DD technology to increase its throughput and accuracy for systematic gene expression analysis. Most of previous DD work has taken a "shot-gun" approach of identifying one gene at a time, with a limited number of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reactions set up manually, giving DD a low-tech and low-throughput image. We have optimized the DD process with a new platform that incorporates fluorescent digital readout, automated liquid handling, and large-format gels capable of running entire 96-well plates. The resulting streamlined fluorescent DD (FDD) technology offers an unprecedented accuracy, sensitivity, and throughput in comprehensive and quantitative analysis of gene expression. These major improvements will allow researchers to find differentially expressed genes of interest, both known and novel, quickly and easily.

Implementing a Digital Phasemeter in an FPGA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, Shanti R.

2008-01-01

Firmware for implementing a digital phasemeter within a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) has been devised. In the original application of this firmware, the phase that one seeks to measure is the difference between the phases of two nominally-equal-frequency heterodyne signals generated by two interferometers. In that application, zero-crossing detectors convert the heterodyne signals to trains of rectangular pulses, the two pulse trains are fed to a fringe counter (the major part of the phasemeter) controlled by a clock signal having a frequency greater than the heterodyne frequency, and the fringe counter computes a time-averaged estimate of the difference between the phases of the two pulse trains. The firmware also does the following: Causes the FPGA to compute the frequencies of the input signals; Causes the FPGA to implement an Ethernet (or equivalent) transmitter for readout of phase and frequency values; and Provides data for use in diagnosis of communication failures. The readout rate can be set, by programming, to a value between 250 Hz and 1 kHz. Network addresses can be programmed by the user.

Off-axis digital holographic microscopy with LED illumination based on polarization filtering.

PubMed

Guo, Rongli; Yao, Baoli; Gao, Peng; Min, Junwei; Zhou, Meiling; Han, Jun; Yu, Xun; Yu, Xianghua; Lei, Ming; Yan, Shaohui; Yang, Yanlong; Dan, Dan; Ye, Tong

2013-12-01

A reflection mode digital holographic microscope with light emitting diode (LED) illumination and off-axis interferometry is proposed. The setup is comprised of a Linnik interferometer and a grating-based 4f imaging unit. Both object and reference waves travel coaxially and are split into multiple diffraction orders in the Fourier plane by the grating. The zeroth and first orders are filtered by a polarizing array to select orthogonally polarized object waves and reference waves. Subsequently, the object and reference waves are combined again in the output plane of the 4f system, and then the hologram with uniform contrast over the entire field of view can be acquired with the aid of a polarizer. The one-shot nature in the off-axis configuration enables an interferometric recording time on a millisecond scale. The validity of the proposed setup is illustrated by imaging nanostructured substrates, and the experimental results demonstrate that the phase noise is reduced drastically by an order of 68% when compared to a He-Ne laser-based result.

Optical authentication based on moiré effect of nonlinear gratings in phase space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Meihua; He, Wenqi; Wu, Jiachen; Lu, Dajiang; Liu, Xiaoli; Peng, Xiang

2015-12-01

An optical authentication scheme based on the moiré effect of nonlinear gratings in phase space is proposed. According to the phase function relationship of the moiré effect in phase space, an arbitrary authentication image can be encoded into two nonlinear gratings which serve as the authentication lock (AL) and the authentication key (AK). The AL is stored in the authentication system while the AK is assigned to the authorized user. The authentication procedure can be performed using an optoelectronic approach, while the design process is accomplished by a digital approach. Furthermore, this optical authentication scheme can be extended for multiple users with different security levels. The proposed scheme can not only verify the legality of a user identity, but can also discriminate and control the security levels of legal users. Theoretical analysis and simulation experiments are provided to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

A scalable diffraction-based scanning 3D colour video display as demonstrated by using tiled gratings and a vertical diffuser

PubMed Central

Jia, Jia; Chen, Jhensi; Yao, Jun; Chu, Daping

2017-01-01

A high quality 3D display requires a high amount of optical information throughput, which needs an appropriate mechanism to distribute information in space uniformly and efficiently. This study proposes a front-viewing system which is capable of managing the required amount of information efficiently from a high bandwidth source and projecting 3D images with a decent size and a large viewing angle at video rate in full colour. It employs variable gratings to support a high bandwidth distribution. This concept is scalable and the system can be made compact in size. A horizontal parallax only (HPO) proof-of-concept system is demonstrated by projecting holographic images from a digital micro mirror device (DMD) through rotational tiled gratings before they are realised on a vertical diffuser for front-viewing. PMID:28304371

MUSIC: An 8 channel readout ASIC for SiPM arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez, Sergio; Gascón, David; Fernández, Gerard; Sanuy, Andreu; Mauricio, Joan; Graciani, Ricardo; Sanchez, David

2016-04-01

This paper presents an 8 channel ASIC for SiPM anode readout based on a novel low input impedance current conveyor (under patent1). This Multiple Use SiPM Integrated Circuit (MUSIC) has been designed to serve several purposes, including, for instance, the readout of SiPM arrays for some of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) cameras. The current division scheme at the very front end part of the circuit splits the input current into differently scaled copies which are connected to independent current mirrors. The circuit contains a tunable pole zero cancellation of the SiPM recovery time constant to deal with sensors from different manufacturers. Decay times up to 100 ns are supported covering most of the available SiPM devices in the market. MUSIC offers three main features: (1) differential output of the sum of the individual input channels; (2) 8 individual single ended analog outputs and; (3) 8 individual binary outputs. The digital outputs encode the amount of collected charge in the duration of the digital signal using a time over threshold technique. For each individual channel, the user must select the analog or digital output. Each functionality, the signal sum and the 8 A/D outputs, include a selectable dual-gain configuration. Moreover, the signal sum implements dual-gain output providing a 15 bit dynamic range. Full die simulation results of the MUSIC designed using AMS 0.35 µm SiGe technology are presented: total die size of 9 mm2, 500 MHz bandwidth for channel sum and 150 MHz bandwidth for A/D channels, low input impedance (≍32 Ω), single photon output pulse width at half maximum (FWHM) between 5 and 10 ns and with a power consumption of ≍ 30 mW/ch plus ≍ 200 mW for the 8 ch sum. Encapsulated prototype samples of the MUSIC are expected by March 2016.

The AGILE silicon tracker: an innovative /γ-ray instrument for space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prest, M.; Barbiellini, G.; Bordignon, G.; Fedel, G.; Liello, F.; Longo, F.; Pontoni, C.; Vallazza, E.

2003-03-01

AGILE (Light Imager for Gamma-ray Astrophysics) is the first small scientific mission of ASI, the Italian Space Agency. It is a light (100kg for the scientific instrument) satellite for the detection of /γ-ray sources in the energy range 30MeV-50GeV within a large field of view (1/4 of the sky). It is planned to be operational in the years 2003-2006, a period in which no other gamma-ray mission in the same energy range is foreseen. AGILE is made of a silicon tungsten tracker, a CsI(Tl) minicalorimeter (1.5X0), an anticoincidence system of segmented plastic scintillators and a X-ray imaging detector sensitive in the 10-40keV range. The tracker consists of 14 planes, each of them made of two layers of 16 single-sided, AC coupled, 410μm thick, 9.5×9.5cm2 silicon detectors with a readout pitch of 242μm and a floating strip. The readout ASIC is the TAA1, an analog-digital, low noise, self-triggering ASIC used in a very low power configuration (<400μW/channel) with full analog readout. The trigger of the satellite is given by the tracker. The total number of readout channels is around 43000. We present a detailed description of the tracker, its trigger and readout logic, its assembly procedures and the prototype performance in several testbeam periods at the CERN PS.

Design of a MATLAB(registered trademark) Image Comparison and Analysis Tool for Augmentation of the Results of the Ann Arbor Distortion Test

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-25

The equipment used in this procedure includes: Ann Arbor distortion tester with 50-line grating reticule, IQeye 720 digital video camera with 12...and import them into MATLAB. In order to digitally capture images of the distortion in an optical sample, an IQeye 720 video camera with a 12... video camera and Ann Arbor distortion tester. Figure 8. Computer interface for capturing images seen by IQeye 720 camera. Once an image was

A 128-channel Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) inside a Virtex-5 FPGA on the GANDALF module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büchele, M.; Fischer, H.; Gorzellik, M.; Herrmann, F.; Königsmann, K.; Schill, C.; Schopferer, S.

2012-03-01

The GANDALF 6U-VME64x/VXS module has been developed for the digitization and real time analysis of detector signals. To perform different applications such as analog-to-digital or time-to-digital conversions, coincidence matrix formation, fast pattern recognition and trigger generation, this module comes with exchangeable analog and digital mezzanine cards. Based on this platform, we present a 128-channel TDC which is implemented in a single Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA using a shifted clock sampling method. In contrast to common TDC concepts, the input signal is sampled by 16 equidistant phase-shifted clocks. A particular challenge of the design is the minimum skew routing of the input signals to the sampling flip-flops. We present measurement results for the differential nonlinearity and the time resolution of the TDC readout system.

Gamma ray spectroscopy employing divalent europium-doped alkaline earth halides and digital readout for accurate histogramming

DOEpatents

Cherepy, Nerine Jane; Payne, Stephen Anthony; Drury, Owen B; Sturm, Benjamin W

2014-11-11

A scintillator radiation detector system according to one embodiment includes a scintillator; and a processing device for processing pulse traces corresponding to light pulses from the scintillator, wherein pulse digitization is used to improve energy resolution of the system. A scintillator radiation detector system according to another embodiment includes a processing device for fitting digitized scintillation waveforms to an algorithm based on identifying rise and decay times and performing a direct integration of fit parameters. A method according to yet another embodiment includes processing pulse traces corresponding to light pulses from a scintillator, wherein pulse digitization is used to improve energy resolution of the system. A method in a further embodiment includes fitting digitized scintillation waveforms to an algorithm based on identifying rise and decay times; and performing a direct integration of fit parameters. Additional systems and methods are also presented.

Development of a compact radiation-hardened low-noise front-end readout ASIC for CZT-based hard X-ray imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, W.; Gan, B.; Li, X.; Wei, T.; Gao, D.; Hu, Y.

2015-04-01

In this paper, we present the development and performances of a radiation-hardened front-end readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) dedicated to CZT detectors for a hard X-ray imager in space applications. The readout channel consists of a charge sensitive amplifier (CSA), a CR-RC shaper, a fast shaper, a discriminator and a driving buffer. With the additional digital filtering, the readout channel can achieve very low noise performances and low power dissipation. An eight-channel prototype ASIC is designed and fabricated in 0.35 μm CMOS process. The energy range of the detected X-rays is evaluated as 1.45 keV to 281 keV. The gain is larger than 100 mV/fC. The equivalent noise charge (ENC) of the ASIC is 53 e- at zero farad plus 10 e- per picofarad. The power dissipation is less than 4.4 mW/channel. Through the measurement with a CZT detector, the energy resolution is less than 3.45 keV (FWHM) under the irradiation of the radioactive source 241Am. The radiation effect experiments indicate that the proposed ASIC can resist the total ionization dose (TID) irradiation of higher than 200 krad (Si).

A Dynamic Range Enhanced Readout Technique with a Two-Step TDC for High Speed Linear CMOS Image Sensors.

PubMed

Gao, Zhiyuan; Yang, Congjie; Xu, Jiangtao; Nie, Kaiming

2015-11-06

This paper presents a dynamic range (DR) enhanced readout technique with a two-step time-to-digital converter (TDC) for high speed linear CMOS image sensors. A multi-capacitor and self-regulated capacitive trans-impedance amplifier (CTIA) structure is employed to extend the dynamic range. The gain of the CTIA is auto adjusted by switching different capacitors to the integration node asynchronously according to the output voltage. A column-parallel ADC based on a two-step TDC is utilized to improve the conversion rate. The conversion is divided into coarse phase and fine phase. An error calibration scheme is also proposed to correct quantization errors caused by propagation delay skew within -T(clk)~+T(clk). A linear CMOS image sensor pixel array is designed in the 0.13 μm CMOS process to verify this DR-enhanced high speed readout technique. The post simulation results indicate that the dynamic range of readout circuit is 99.02 dB and the ADC achieves 60.22 dB SNDR and 9.71 bit ENOB at a conversion rate of 2 MS/s after calibration, with 14.04 dB and 2.4 bit improvement, compared with SNDR and ENOB of that without calibration.

Discovery of Spatial and Spectral Structure in the X-Ray Emission from the Crab Nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, M.; Hester, J. J.; Tennant, A. F.; Elsner, R. F.; Schulz, N. S.; Marshall, H. L.; Karovska, M.; Nichols, J. S.; Swartz, D. A.; Kolodziejczak, J. J.

2000-01-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory observed the Crab Nebula and Pulsar During orbital calibration. Zeroth-order images with the High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) read-out by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer spectroscopy array (ACIS-S) show a striking richness of X-ray structure, at a resolution comparable to that of the best ground-based visible-light observations. The HETG-ACIS-S images reveal, for the first time, an X-ray knots along the inner ring and (perhaps) along the inward extension of the X-ray jet. Although complicated by instrumental effects and the brightness of the Crab Nebula, the spectrometric analysis shows systematic variations of the X-ray spectrum throughout the Nebula.

Feasibility and technology for making remote measurements of solutes in water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldberg, Marvin C.; Weiner, Eugene R.

1977-01-01

An indepth evaluation of the available technology in the field of laser-Raman spectroscopy indicates that a TV-type detector, a single monochromator with a holographic grating, an entrance slit filter blocking the Rayleigh light, and a pulsed laser coupled to signal averaging electronics is the best combination of commercial equipment that is presently available for building a remote water-quality sensor. The resultant sensor would be capable of measuring oxyanions in water at concentrations from 10 to 50 milligrams per liter at distances from ground level to 30 meters above the sample. The main interferences would be ambient light, bioluminescence, and natural fluorescence, all of which are minimized when taking advantage of the signal generating and readout capability contained in this equipment package.

A fluorometric lateral flow assay for visual detection of nucleic acids using a digital camera readout.

PubMed

Magiati, Maria; Sevastou, Areti; Kalogianni, Despina P

2018-06-04

A fluorometric lateral flow assay has been developed for the detection of nucleic acids. The fluorophores phycoerythrin (PE) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) were used as labels, while a common digital camera and a colored vinyl-sheet, acting as a cut-off optical filter, are used for fluorescence imaging. After DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the biotinylated PCR product is hybridized to its complementary probe that carries a poly(dA) tail at 3΄ edge and then applied to the lateral flow strip. The hybrids are captured to the test zone of the strip by immobilized poly(dT) sequences and detected by streptavidin-fluorescein and streptavidin-phycoerythrin conjugates, through streptavidin-biotin interaction. The assay is widely applicable, simple, cost-effective, and offers a large multiplexing potential. Its performance is comparable to assays based on the use of streptavidin-gold nanoparticles conjugates. As low as 7.8 fmol of a ssDNA and 12.5 fmol of an amplified dsDNA target were detectable. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of a fluorometric lateral flow assay based on fluorescein and phycoerythrin fluorescent labels for the detection of single-stranded (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) sequences and using a digital camera readout. SA: streptavidin, BSA: Bovine Serum Albumin, B: biotin, FITC: fluorescein isothiocyanate, PE: phycoerythrin, TZ: test zone, CZ: control zone.

A finite state machine read-out chip for integrated surface acoustic wave sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakshit, Sambarta; Iliadis, Agis A.

2015-01-01

A finite state machine based integrated sensor circuit suitable for the read-out module of a monolithically integrated SAW sensor on Si is reported. The primary sensor closed loop consists of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), a peak detecting comparator, a finite state machine (FSM), and a monolithically integrated SAW sensor device. The output of the system oscillates within a narrow voltage range that correlates with the SAW pass-band response. The period of oscillation is of the order of the SAW phase delay. We use timing information from the FSM to convert SAW phase delay to an on-chip 10 bit digital output operating on the principle of time to digital conversion (TDC). The control inputs of this digital conversion block are generated by a second finite state machine operating under a divided system clock. The average output varies with changes in SAW center frequency, thus tracking mass sensing events in real time. Based on measured VCO gain of 16 MHz/V our system will convert a 10 kHz SAW frequency shift to a corresponding mean voltage shift of 0.7 mV. A corresponding shift in phase delay is converted to a one or two bit shift in the TDC output code. The system can handle alternate SAW center frequencies and group delays simply by adjusting the VCO control and TDC delay control inputs. Because of frequency to voltage and phase to digital conversion, this topology does not require external frequency counter setups and is uniquely suitable for full monolithic integration of autonomous sensor systems and tags.

Analysis of off-axis incoherent digital holographic microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quan, Xiangyu; Matoba, Osamu; Awatsuji, Yasuhiro

2017-05-01

Off-axis incoherent digital holography that enables single-shot three-dimensional (3D) distribution is introduced in the paper. Conventional fluorescence microscopy images 3D fields by sectioning, this prevents instant imaging of fast reactions of living cells. In order to realize digital holography from incoherent light, we adapted common path configuration to achieve the best temporal coherence. And by introducing gratings, we shifted the direction of each light to achieve off-axis interference. Simulations and preliminary experiments using LED light have confirmed the results. We expect to use this method to realize 3D phase imaging and fluorescent imaging at the same time from the same biological sample.

[A digital micromirror device-based Hadamard transform near infrared spectrometer].

PubMed

Liu, Jia; Chen, Fen-Fei; Liao, Cheng-Sheng; Xu, Qian; Zeng, Li-Bo; Wu, Qiong-Shui

2011-10-01

A Hadamard transform near infrared spectrometer based on a digital micromirror device was constructed. The optical signal was collected by optical fiber, a grating was used for light diffraction, a digital micromirror device (DMD) was applied instead of traditional mechanical Hadamard masks for optical modulation, and an InGaAs near infrared detector was used as the optic sensor. The original spectrum was recovered by fast Hadamard transform algrithms. The advantages of the spectrometer, such as high resolution, signal-noise-ratio, stability, sensitivity and response speed were proved by experiments, which indicated that it is very suitable for oil and food-safety applications.

Single-shot digital holography by use of the fractional Talbot effect.

PubMed

Martínez-León, Lluís; Araiza-E, María; Javidi, Bahram; Andrés, Pedro; Climent, Vicent; Lancis, Jesús; Tajahuerce, Enrique

2009-07-20

We present a method for recording in-line single-shot digital holograms based on the fractional Talbot effect. In our system, an image sensor records the interference between the light field scattered by the object and a properly codified parallel reference beam. A simple binary two-dimensional periodic grating is used to codify the reference beam generating a periodic three-step phase distribution over the sensor plane by fractional Talbot effect. This provides a method to perform single-shot phase-shifting interferometry at frame rates only limited by the sensor capabilities. Our technique is well adapted for dynamic wavefront sensing applications. Images of the object are digitally reconstructed from the digital hologram. Both computer simulations and experimental results are presented.

Method of multi-channel data readout and acquisition

DOEpatents

Degtiarenko, Pavel V.; Popov, Vladimir E.

2010-06-15

A method for dealing with the problem of simultaneous continuous readout of large number of data channels from the set of multiple sensors in instances where the use of multiple amplitude-to-digital converters is not practical or causes undesirable extra noise and distortion in the data. The new method uses sensor front-end s and subsequent electronics to transform the analog input signals and encode them into a series of short pulses that can be transmitted to a long distance via a high frequency transmission line without information loss. Upon arrival at a destination data decoder and analyzer device, the series of short pulses can be decoded and transformed back, to obtain, store, and utilize the sensor information with the required accuracy.

8-channel prototype of SALT readout ASIC for Upstream Tracker in the upgraded LHCb experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abellan Beteta, C.; Bugiel, S.; Dasgupta, R.; Firlej, M.; Fiutowski, T.; Idzik, M.; Kane, C.; Moron, J.; Swientek, K.; Wang, J.

2017-02-01

SALT is a new 128-channel readout ASIC for silicon strip detectors in the upgraded Upstream Tracker of the LHCb experiment. It will extract and digitise analogue signals from the sensor, perform digital processing and transmit serial output data. SALT is designed in CMOS 130 nm process and uses a novel architecture comprising of an analogue front-end and an ultra-low power (<0.5 mW) fast (40 MSps) sampling 6-bit ADC in each channel. An 8-channel prototype (SALT8), comprising all important functionalities was designed, fabricated and tested. A full 128-channel version was also submitted. The design and test results of the SALT8 prototype are presented showing its full functionality.

2017 Cybersecurity Workshop: Readouts from Working Groups - Video Text

Science.gov Websites

applicability of artificial intelligence to search for cybersecurity gaps in our existing SKATA networks. Second primarily renewable that all back each other up; that are all highly intelligent, artificial intelligence we have in cyber security, digital technologies, artificial intelligence. We think that that would

Psychophysical chromatic mechanisms in macaque monkey.

PubMed

Stoughton, Cleo M; Lafer-Sousa, Rosa; Gagin, Galina; Conway, Bevil R

2012-10-24

Chromatic mechanisms have been studied extensively with psychophysical techniques in humans, but the number and nature of the mechanisms are still controversial. Appeals to monkey neurophysiology are often used to sort out the competing claims and to test hypotheses arising from the experiments in humans, but psychophysical chromatic mechanisms have never been assessed in monkeys. Here we address this issue by measuring color-detection thresholds in monkeys before and after chromatic adaptation, employing a standard approach used to determine chromatic mechanisms in humans. We conducted separate experiments using adaptation configured as either flickering full-field colors or heterochromatic gratings. Full-field colors would favor activity within the visual system at or before the arrival of retinal signals to V1, before the spatial transformation of color signals by the cortex. Conversely, gratings would favor activity within the cortex where neurons are often sensitive to spatial chromatic structure. Detection thresholds were selectively elevated for the colors of full-field adaptation when it modulated along either of the two cardinal chromatic axes that define cone-opponent color space [L vs M or S vs (L + M)], providing evidence for two privileged cardinal chromatic mechanisms implemented early in the visual-processing hierarchy. Adaptation with gratings produced elevated thresholds for colors of the adaptation regardless of its chromatic makeup, suggesting a cortical representation comprised of multiple higher-order mechanisms each selective for a different direction in color space. The results suggest that color is represented by two cardinal channels early in the processing hierarchy and many chromatic channels in brain regions closer to perceptual readout.

Multiplexed Oversampling Digitizer in 65 nm CMOS for Column-Parallel CCD Readout

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grace, Carl; Walder, Jean-Pierre; von der Lippe, Henrik

2012-04-10

A digitizer designed to read out column-parallel charge-coupled devices (CCDs) used for high-speed X-ray imaging is presented. The digitizer is included as part of the High-Speed Image Preprocessor with Oversampling (HIPPO) integrated circuit. The digitizer module comprises a multiplexed, oversampling, 12-bit, 80 MS/s pipelined Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) and a bank of four fast-settling sample-and-hold amplifiers to instrument four analog channels. The ADC multiplexes and oversamples to reduce its area to allow integration that is pitch-matched to the columns of the CCD. Novel design techniques are used to enable oversampling and multiplexing with a reduced power penalty. The ADC exhibits 188more » ?V-rms noise which is less than 1 LSB at a 12-bit level. The prototype is implemented in a commercially available 65 nm CMOS process. The digitizer will lead to a proof-of-principle 2D 10 Gigapixel/s X-ray detector.« less

High speed holographic digital recorder.

PubMed

Roberts, H N; Watkins, J W; Johnson, R H

1974-04-01

Concepts, feasibility experiments, and key component developments are described for a holographic digital record/reproduce system with the potential for 1.0 Gbit/sec rates and higher. Record rates of 500 Mbits/sec have been demonstrated with a ten-channel acoustooptic modulator array and a mode-locked, cavity-dumped argon-ion laser. Acoustooptic device technology has been advanced notably during the development of mode lockers, cavity dumpers, beam deflectors, and multichannel modulator arrays. The development of high speed multichannel photodetector arrays for the readout subsystem requires special attention. The feasibility of 1.0 Gbits/sec record rates has been demonstrated.

Waveform digitization for high resolution timing detectors with silicon photomultipliers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ronzhin, A.; Albrow, M. G.; Los, S.

2012-03-01

The results of time resolution studies with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) read out with high bandwidth constant fraction discrimination electronics were presented earlier [1-3]. Here we describe the application of fast waveform digitization readout based on the DRS4 chip [4], a switched capacitor array (SCA) produced by the Paul Scherrer Institute, to further our goal of developing high time resolution detectors based on SiPMs. The influence of the SiPM signal shape on the time resolution was investigated. Different algorithms to obtain the best time resolution are described, and test beam results are presented.

Fiber-optic extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer sensors with three-wavelength digital phase demodulation.

PubMed

Schmidt, M; Fürstenau, N

1999-05-01

A three-wavelength-based passive quadrature digital phase-demodulation scheme has been developed for readout of fiber-optic extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer vibration, acoustic, and strain sensors. This scheme uses a superluminescent diode light source with interference filters in front of the photodiodes and real-time arctan calculation. Quasi-static strain and dynamic vibration sensing with up to an 80-kHz sampling rate is demonstrated. Periodic nonlinearities owing to dephasing with increasing fringe number are corrected for with a suitable algorithm, resulting in significant improvement of the linearity of the sensor characteristics.

A fast one-chip event-preprocessor and sequencer for the Simbol-X Low Energy Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schanz, T.; Tenzer, C.; Maier, D.; Kendziorra, E.; Santangelo, A.

2010-12-01

We present an FPGA-based digital camera electronics consisting of an Event-Preprocessor (EPP) for on-board data preprocessing and a related Sequencer (SEQ) to generate the necessary signals to control the readout of the detector. The device has been originally designed for the Simbol-X low energy detector (LED). The EPP operates on 64×64 pixel images and has a real-time processing capability of more than 8000 frames per second. The already working releases of the EPP and the SEQ are now combined into one Digital-Camera-Controller-Chip (D3C).

Digital Inverter Amine Sensing via Synergistic Responses by n and p Organic Semiconductors.

PubMed

Tremblay, Noah J; Jung, Byung Jun; Breysse, Patrick; Katz, Howard E

2011-11-22

Chemiresistors and sensitive OFETs have been substantially developed as cheap, scalable, and versatile sensing platforms. While new materials are expanding OFET sensing capabilities, the device architectures have changed little. Here we report higher order logic circuits utilizing OFETs sensitive to amine vapors. The circuits depend on the synergistic responses of paired p- and n-channel organic semiconductors, including an unprecedented analyte-induced current increase by the n-channel semiconductor. This represents the first step towards 'intelligent sensors' that utilize analog signal changes in sensitive OFETs to produce direct digital readouts suitable for further logic operations.

Digital Inverter Amine Sensing via Synergistic Responses by n and p Organic Semiconductors

PubMed Central

Tremblay, Noah J.; Jung, Byung Jun; Breysse, Patrick; Katz, Howard E.

2013-01-01

Chemiresistors and sensitive OFETs have been substantially developed as cheap, scalable, and versatile sensing platforms. While new materials are expanding OFET sensing capabilities, the device architectures have changed little. Here we report higher order logic circuits utilizing OFETs sensitive to amine vapors. The circuits depend on the synergistic responses of paired p- and n-channel organic semiconductors, including an unprecedented analyte-induced current increase by the n-channel semiconductor. This represents the first step towards ‘intelligent sensors’ that utilize analog signal changes in sensitive OFETs to produce direct digital readouts suitable for further logic operations. PMID:23754969

The E and B EXperiment: EBEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helson, Kyle R.

2015-08-01

We report on the status of the E and B Experiment (EBEX) a balloon-borne polarimeter designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The instrument employs a 1.5 meter Gregorian Mizuguchi-Dragone telescope providing 8 arc-minute resolution at three bands centered on 150, 250, and 410 GHz. A continuously rotating achromatic half wave plate, mounted on a superconducting magnetic bearing, and a polarizing grid give EBEX polarimetric capabilities. Radiation is detected with a kilo-pixel array of transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers that are cooled to 0.25 K. The detectors are readout using SQUID current amplifiers and a digital frequency-domain multiplexing system in which 16 detectors are readout simultaneously with two wires. EBEX is the first instrument to implement TESs and such readout system on board a balloon-borne platform. EBEX was launched from the Antarctic in December 2012 on an 11-day long-duration balloon flight. This presentation will provide an overview of the instrument and discuss the flight and status of the data analysis. We also discuss the next generation of EBEX called EBEX10k, currently in development.

Prototype AEGIS: A Pixel-Array Readout Circuit for Gamma-Ray Imaging.

PubMed

Barber, H Bradford; Augustine, F L; Furenlid, L; Ingram, C M; Grim, G P

2005-07-31

Semiconductor detector arrays made of CdTe/CdZnTe are expected to be the main components of future high-performance, clinical nuclear medicine imaging systems. Such systems will require small pixel-pitch and much larger numbers of pixels than are available in current semiconductor-detector cameras. We describe the motivation for developing a new readout integrated circuit, AEGIS, for use in hybrid semiconductor detector arrays, that may help spur the development of future cameras. A basic design for AEGIS is presented together with results of an HSPICE ™ simulation of the performance of its unit cell. AEGIS will have a shaper-amplifier unit cell and neighbor pixel readout. Other features include the use of a single input power line with other biases generated on-board, a control register that allows digital control of all thresholds and chip configurations and an output approach that is compatible with list-mode data acquisition. An 8×8 prototype version of AEGIS is currently under development; the full AEGIS will be a 64×64 array with 300 μm pitch.

Absolute Position Encoders With Vertical Image Binning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B.

2005-01-01

Improved optoelectronic patternrecognition encoders that measure rotary and linear 1-dimensional positions at conversion rates (numbers of readings per unit time) exceeding 20 kHz have been invented. Heretofore, optoelectronic pattern-recognition absoluteposition encoders have been limited to conversion rates <15 Hz -- too low for emerging industrial applications in which conversion rates ranging from 1 kHz to as much as 100 kHz are required. The high conversion rates of the improved encoders are made possible, in part, by use of vertically compressible or binnable (as described below) scale patterns in combination with modified readout sequences of the image sensors [charge-coupled devices (CCDs)] used to read the scale patterns. The modified readout sequences and the processing of the images thus read out are amenable to implementation by use of modern, high-speed, ultra-compact microprocessors and digital signal processors or field-programmable gate arrays. This combination of improvements makes it possible to greatly increase conversion rates through substantial reductions in all three components of conversion time: exposure time, image-readout time, and image-processing time.

Improved charge injection device and a focal plane interface electronics board for stellar tracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michon, G. J.; Burke, H. K.

1984-01-01

An improved Charge Injection Device (CID) stellar tracking sensor and an operating sensor in a control/readout electronics board were developed. The sensor consists of a shift register scanned, 256x256 CID array organized for readout of 4x4 subarrays. The 4x4 subarrays can be positioned anywhere within the 256x256 array with a 2 pixel resolution. This allows continuous tracking of a number of stars simultaneously since nine pixels (3x3) centered on any star can always be read out. Organization and operation of this sensor and the improvements in design and semiconductor processing are described. A hermetic package incorporating an internal thermoelectric cooler assembled using low temperature solders was developed. The electronics board, which contains the sensor drivers, amplifiers, sample hold circuits, multiplexer, analog to digital converter, and the sensor temperature control circuits, is also described. Packaged sensors were evaluated for readout efficiency, spectral quantum efficiency, temporal noise, fixed pattern noise, and dark current. Eight sensors along with two tracker electronics boards were completed, evaluated, and delivered.

Pixel electronic noise as a function of position in an active matrix flat panel imaging array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yazdandoost, Mohammad Y.; Wu, Dali; Karim, Karim S.

2010-04-01

We present an analysis of output referred pixel electronic noise as a function of position in the active matrix array for both active and passive pixel architectures. Three different noise sources for Active Pixel Sensor (APS) arrays are considered: readout period noise, reset period noise and leakage current noise of the reset TFT during readout. For the state-of-the-art Passive Pixel Sensor (PPS) array, the readout noise of the TFT switch is considered. Measured noise results are obtained by modeling the array connections with RC ladders on a small in-house fabricated prototype. The results indicate that the pixels in the rows located in the middle part of the array have less random electronic noise at the output of the off-panel charge amplifier compared to the ones in rows at the two edges of the array. These results can help optimize for clearer images as well as help define the region-of-interest with the best signal-to-noise ratio in an active matrix digital flat panel imaging array.

WINERED: a warm near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, Yuji; Kobayashi, Naoto; Kondo, Sohei; Yasui, Chikako; Motohara, Kentaro; Minami, Atsushi

2006-06-01

We are developing a new near-infrared high-resolution (R max = 100,000) and high-sensitive spectrograph WINERED, which is specifically customized for short NIR bands at 0.9-1.35 μm. WINERED employs the following two novel approaches in the optical system: (1) portable design with a ZnSe immersion grating and (2) warm optics without any cold stops. These concepts result in several essential advantages as follows: easy to build, align, and maintain; these result in a short development time and low cost. WINERED employs a VIRGO HgCdTe 2k × 2k array by Raytheon as the detector. We are developing our own array control system that aims at a low readout noise (< 10 e -) with a readout time of about 3 sec. Our goal is to achieve a high sensitivity of R = 100,000 for a NIR spectroscopy of 15 mag and 17 mag point sources with 4 m and 10 m telescopes, respectively. We have just finalized the optical design and produced a prototype electronics, which are described in the companion papers by Yasui et al. and Kondo et al., respectively. We plan to complete this instrument by the end of 2008 and hope to attach it to various 4 to 10 m telescopes as a PI-type instrument.

Indications of vigor loss after fire in Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea) from electrical resistance measurements

Treesearch

T.E. Paysen; A.L. Koonce; E. Taylor; M.O. Rodriquez

2006-01-01

In May 1993, electrical resistance measurements were performed on trees in burned and unburned stands of Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea Mor.) in north-eastern Nicaragua to determine whether tree vigor was affected by fire. An Osmose model OZ-67 Shigometer with digital readout was used to collect the sample electrical resistance data. Computer-...

High-Accuracy, Compact Scanning Method and Circuit for Resistive Sensor Arrays.

PubMed

Kim, Jong-Seok; Kwon, Dae-Yong; Choi, Byong-Deok

2016-01-26

The zero-potential scanning circuit is widely used as read-out circuit for resistive sensor arrays because it removes a well known problem: crosstalk current. The zero-potential scanning circuit can be divided into two groups based on type of row drivers. One type is a row driver using digital buffers. It can be easily implemented because of its simple structure, but we found that it can cause a large read-out error which originates from on-resistance of the digital buffers used in the row driver. The other type is a row driver composed of operational amplifiers. It, very accurately, reads the sensor resistance, but it uses a large number of operational amplifiers to drive rows of the sensor array; therefore, it severely increases the power consumption, cost, and system complexity. To resolve the inaccuracy or high complexity problems founded in those previous circuits, we propose a new row driver which uses only one operational amplifier to drive all rows of a sensor array with high accuracy. The measurement results with the proposed circuit to drive a 4 × 4 resistor array show that the maximum error is only 0.1% which is remarkably reduced from 30.7% of the previous counterpart.

Towards Gotthard-II: development of a silicon microstrip detector for the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.; Andrä, M.; Barten, R.; Bergamaschi, A.; Brückner, M.; Dinapoli, R.; Fröjdh, E.; Greiffenberg, D.; Lopez-Cuenca, C.; Mezza, D.; Mozzanica, A.; Ramilli, M.; Redford, S.; Ruat, M.; Ruder, C.; Schmitt, B.; Shi, X.; Thattil, D.; Tinti, G.; Turcato, M.; Vetter, S.

2018-01-01

Gotthard-II is a 1-D microstrip detector specifically developed for the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser. It will not only be used in energy dispersive experiments but also as a beam diagnostic tool with additional logic to generate veto signals for the other 2-D detectors. Gotthard-II makes use of a silicon microstrip sensor with a pitch of either 50 μm or 25 μm and with 1280 or 2560 channels wire-bonded to adaptive gain switching readout chips. Built-in analog-to-digital converters and digital memories will be implemented in the readout chip for a continuous conversion and storage of frames for all bunches in the bunch train. The performance of analogue front-end prototypes of Gotthard has been investigated in this work. The results in terms of noise, conversion gain, dynamic range, obtained by means of infrared laser and X-rays, will be shown. In particular, the effects of the strip-to-strip coupling are studied in detail and it is found that the reduction of the coupling effects is one of the key factors for the development of the analogue front-end of Gotthard-II.

Integrated optical circuits for numerical computation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verber, C. M.; Kenan, R. P.

1983-01-01

The development of integrated optical circuits (IOC) for numerical-computation applications is reviewed, with a focus on the use of systolic architectures. The basic architecture criteria for optical processors are shown to be the same as those proposed by Kung (1982) for VLSI design, and the advantages of IOCs over bulk techniques are indicated. The operation and fabrication of electrooptic grating structures are outlined, and the application of IOCs of this type to an existing 32-bit, 32-Mbit/sec digital correlator, a proposed matrix multiplier, and a proposed pipeline processor for polynomial evaluation is discussed. The problems arising from the inherent nonlinearity of electrooptic gratings are considered. Diagrams and drawings of the application concepts are provided.

The DCU: the detector control unit for SPICA-SAFARI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clénet, Antoine; Ravera, Laurent; Bertrand, Bernard; den Hartog, Roland H.; Jackson, Brian D.; van Leeuven, Bert-Joost; van Loon, Dennis; Parot, Yann; Pointecouteau, Etienne; Sournac, Anthony

2014-08-01

IRAP is developing the warm electronic, so called Detector Control Unit" (DCU), in charge of the readout of the SPICA-SAFARI's TES type detectors. The architecture of the electronics used to readout the 3 500 sensors of the 3 focal plane arrays is based on the frequency domain multiplexing technique (FDM). In each of the 24 detection channels the data of up to 160 pixels are multiplexed in frequency domain between 1 and 3:3 MHz. The DCU provides the AC signals to voltage-bias the detectors; it demodulates the detectors data which are readout in the cold by a SQUID; and it computes a feedback signal for the SQUID to linearize the detection chain in order to optimize its dynamic range. The feedback is computed with a specific technique, so called baseband feedback (BBFB) which ensures that the loop is stable even with long propagation and processing delays (i.e. several µs) and with fast signals (i.e. frequency carriers at 3:3 MHz). This digital signal processing is complex and has to be done at the same time for the 3 500 pixels. It thus requires an optimisation of the power consumption. We took the advantage of the relatively reduced science signal bandwidth (i.e. 20 - 40 Hz) to decouple the signal sampling frequency (10 MHz) and the data processing rate. Thanks to this method we managed to reduce the total number of operations per second and thus the power consumption of the digital processing circuit by a factor of 10. Moreover we used time multiplexing techniques to share the resources of the circuit (e.g. a single BBFB module processes 32 pixels). The current version of the firmware is under validation in a Xilinx Virtex 5 FPGA, the final version will be developed in a space qualified digital ASIC. Beyond the firmware architecture the optimization of the instrument concerns the characterization routines and the definition of the optimal parameters. Indeed the operation of the detection and readout chains requires to properly define more than 17 500 parameters (about 5 parameters per pixel). Thus it is mandatory to work out an automatic procedure to set up these optimal values. We defined a fast algorithm which characterizes the phase correction to be applied by the BBFB firmware and the pixel resonance frequencies. We also defined a technique to define the AC-carrier initial phases in such a way that the amplitude of their sum is minimized (for a better use of the DAC dynamic range).

Phasemeter core for intersatellite laser heterodyne interferometry: modelling, simulations and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerberding, Oliver; Sheard, Benjamin; Bykov, Iouri; Kullmann, Joachim; Esteban Delgado, Juan Jose; Danzmann, Karsten; Heinzel, Gerhard

2013-12-01

Intersatellite laser interferometry is a central component of future space-borne gravity instruments like Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), evolved LISA, NGO and future geodesy missions. The inherently small laser wavelength allows us to measure distance variations with extremely high precision by interfering a reference beam with a measurement beam. The readout of such interferometers is often based on tracking phasemeters, which are able to measure the phase of an incoming beatnote with high precision over a wide range of frequencies. The implementation of such phasemeters is based on all digital phase-locked loops (ADPLL), hosted in FPGAs. Here, we present a precise model of an ADPLL that allows us to design such a readout algorithm and we support our analysis by numerical performance measurements and experiments with analogue signals.

The charge pump PLL clock generator designed for the 1.56 ns bin size time-to-digital converter pixel array of the Timepix3 readout ASIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Y.; Brezina, C.; Desch, K.; Poikela, T.; Llopart, X.; Campbell, M.; Massimiliano, D.; Gromov, V.; Kluit, R.; van Beauzekom, M.; Zappon, F.; Zivkovic, V.

2014-01-01

Timepix3 is a newly developed pixel readout chip which is expected to be operated in a wide range of gaseous and silicon detectors. It is made of 256 × 256 pixels organized in a square pixel-array with 55 μm pitch. Oscillators running at 640 MHz are distributed across the pixel-array and allow for a highly accurate measurement of the arrival time of a hit. This paper concentrates on a low-jitter phase locked loop (PLL) that is located in the chip periphery. This PLL provides a control voltage which regulates the actual frequency of the individual oscillators, allowing for compensation of process, voltage, and temperature variations.

Integrating Metal-Oxide-Decorated CNT Networks with a CMOS Readout in a Gas Sensor

PubMed Central

Lee, Hyunjoong; Lee, Sanghoon; Kim, Dai-Hong; Perello, David; Park, Young June; Hong, Seong-Hyeon; Yun, Minhee; Kim, Suhwan

2012-01-01

We have implemented a tin-oxide-decorated carbon nanotube (CNT) network gas sensor system on a single die. We have also demonstrated the deposition of metallic tin on the CNT network, its subsequent oxidation in air, and the improvement of the lifetime of the sensors. The fabricated array of CNT sensors contains 128 sensor cells for added redundancy and increased accuracy. The read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) was combined with coarse and fine time-to-digital converters to extend its resolution in a power-efficient way. The ROIC is fabricated using a 0.35 μm CMOS process, and the whole sensor system consumes 30 mA at 5 V. The sensor system was successfully tested in the detection of ammonia gas at elevated temperatures. PMID:22736966

3D Encoding of Musical Score Information and the Playback Method Used by the Cellular Phone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubo, Hitoshi; Sugiura, Akihiko

Recently, 3G cellular phone that can take a movie has spread by improving the digital camera function. And, 2Dcode has accurate readout and high operability. And it has spread as an information transmission means. However, the symbol is expanded and complicated when information of 2D codes increases. To solve these, 3D code was proposed. But it need the special equipment for readout, and specializes in the enhancing reality feeling technology. Therefore, it is difficult to apply it to the cellular phone. And so, we propose 3D code that can be recognized by the movie shooting function of the cellular phone. And, score information was encoded. We apply Gray Code to the property of music, and encode it. And the effectiveness was verified.

Femtosecond laser pulse shaping at megahertz rate via a digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Gu, Chenglin; Chang, Yina; Zhang, Dapeng; Cheng, Jiyi; Chen, Shih-Chi

2015-09-01

In this Letter, we present a scanner and digital micromirror device (DMD)-based ultrafast pulse shaper, i.e., S-DUPS, for programmable ultrafast pulse modulation, achieving a shaping rate of 2 MHz. To our knowledge, the S-DUPS is the fastest programmable pulse shaper reported to date. In the S-DUPS, the frequency spectrum of the input pulsed laser is first spread horizontally, and then mapped to a thin stripe on the DMD programmed with phase modulation patterns. A galvanometric scanner, synchronized with the DMD, subsequently scans the spectrum vertically on the DMD to achieve a shaping rate up to 10 s MHz. A grating pair and a cylindrical lens in front of the DMD compensate for the temporal and spatial dispersion of the system. To verify the concept, experiments were conducted with the DMD and the galvanometric scanner operated at 2 kHz and 1 kHz, respectively, achieving a 2 MHz speed for continuous group velocity dispersion tuning, as well as 2% efficiency. Up to 5% efficiency of S-DUPS can be expected with high efficiency gratings and optical components of proper coatings.

Digital micromirror device-based ultrafast pulse shaping for femtosecond laser.

PubMed

Gu, Chenglin; Zhang, Dapeng; Chang, Yina; Chen, Shih-Chi

2015-06-15

In this Letter, we present a new digital micromirror device (DMD)-based ultrafast pulse shaper, i.e., DUPS. To the best of our knowledge, the DUPS is the first binary pulse shaper that can modulate high repetition rate laser sources at up to a 32 kHz rate (limited by the DMD pattern rate). Since pulse modulation occurs in the frequency domain through reflective two-dimensional micromirror arrays, i.e., DMD, the DUPS is not only compact and low in cost, but also possesses a high damage threshold that is critical for high pulse energy laser applications. In this work, a grating pair was introduced in the DUPS to compensate the DMD induced dispersion. Double pulses were generated to validate the effectiveness of the DUPS and calibrate the system. Subsequently, we demonstrated arbitrary phase shaping capability by continuous tuning of group velocity dispersion (GVD) and modulation of half-spectrum shifted by π. The overall efficiency was measured to be 1.7%, while an efficiency of up to 5% can be expected when high efficiency gratings and properly coated DMDs are used.

BAW sensor readout circuit based on Pierce oscillator architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yang; Yin, Xi-Yang; Han, Bin; Wang, Yu-Hang

2017-10-01

Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonators (BAWRs) have been well developed both as filters and as high sensitivity sensors in recent years. In contrast to traditional megahertz quartz resonators, BAWRs offer significant increases in resonant frequency, typically operating in gigahertz regimes. This translates into a potential sensitivity increase of more than three orders of magnitude over traditional QCM (Quartz Crystal Microbalance) devices. Given the micrometer-scale size of BAW sensor-head, read-out circuitry can monolithic integrated with this GHz transducer is urgently needed to produce small, robust, and inexpensive sensor systems. A BAW sensor read-out circuit prototype based on Pierce oscillator architecture is fulfilled in this paper. Based on the differential measurement scheme, two uniform BAWRs are used to constitute two BAW oscillators as a reference and a measurement branch respectively. The resonant frequency shift caused by the measurand is obtained by mixing and filtering the two oscillator signals. Then, the intermediate signal is amplified, shaped and converted to a digital one. And a FPGA is used for frequency detection. Taking 2 GHz BAW mass sensor as a case study, deign procedure are given in details. Simulation and experimental results reveal a 0-99 MHz frequency shift measurement range. Main factors affecting phase noise of the BAW oscillator (i.e. mainly frequency stability of the BAW sensor readout circuit) are also discussed for further optimizations.

Clock and trigger synchronization between several chassis of digital data acquisition modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hennig, W.; Tan, H.; Walby, M.; Grudberg, P.; Fallu-Labruyere, A.; Warburton, W. K.; Vaman, C.; Starosta, K.; Miller, D.

2007-08-01

In applications with segmented high purity Ge detectors or other detector arrays with tens or hundreds of channels, the high development cost and limited flexibility of application specific integrated circuits outweigh their benefits of low power and small size. The readout electronics typically consist of multi-channel data acquisition modules in a common chassis for power, clock and trigger distribution, and data readout. As arrays become larger and reach several hundred channels, the readout electronics have to be divided over several chassis, but still must maintain precise synchronization of clocks and trigger signals across all channels. This division becomes necessary not only because of limits given by the instrumentation standards on module size and chassis slot numbers, but also because data readout times increase when more modules share the same data bus and because power requirements approach the limits of readily available power supplies. In this paper, we present a method for distributing clocks and triggers between 4 PXI chassis containing DGF Pixie-16 modules with up to 226 acquisition channels per chassis. The data acquisition system is intended to instrument the over 600 channels of the SeGA detector array at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. Our solution is designed to achieve synchronous acquisition of detector waveforms from all channels with a jitter of less than 1 ns, and can be extended to a larger number of chassis if desired.

[Reliability of three dimensional resin model by rapid prototyping manufacturing and digital modeling].

PubMed

Zeng, Fei-huang; Xu, Yuan-zhi; Fang, Li; Tang, Xiao-shan

2012-02-01

To describe a new technique for fabricating an 3D resin model by 3D reconstruction and rapid prototyping, and to analyze the precision of this method. An optical grating scanner was used to acquire the data of silastic cavity block , digital dental cast was reconstructed with the data through Geomagic Studio image processing software. The final 3D reconstruction was saved in the pattern of Stl. The 3D resin model was fabricated by fuse deposition modeling, and was compared with the digital model and gypsum model. The data of three groups were statistically analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software package. No significant difference was found in gypsum model,digital dental cast and 3D resin model (P>0.05). Rapid prototyping manufacturing and digital modeling would be helpful for dental information acquisition, treatment design, appliance manufacturing, and can improve the communications between patients and doctors.

Optical sensor based on hybrid FBG/titanium dioxide coated LPFG for monitoring organic solvents in edible oils.

PubMed

Coelho, Luís; Viegas, Diana; Santos, José Luís; de Almeida, José Manuel Marques Martins

2016-01-01

A hybrid optical sensing scheme based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) combined with a titanium dioxide coated long period fiber grating (LPFG) for monitoring organic solvents in high refractive index edible oils is reported. In order to investigate and optimize the sensor performance, two different FBG/LPFG interrogation systems were investigated. The readout of the sensor was implemented using either the wavelength shift of the LPFG resonance dip or the variation in the optical power level of the reflected/transmitted light at the FBG wavelength peak, which in turn depends on the wavelength position of the LPFG resonance. Hexane concentrations up to 20%V/V, corresponding to the refractive index range from 1.451 to 1.467, were considered. For the transmission mode of operation, sensitivities of 1.41 nm/%V/V and 0.11 dB/%V/V, with resolutions of 0.58%V/V and 0.29%V/V, were achieved when using the LPFG wavelength shift and the FBG transmitted optical power, respectively. For the FBG reflection mode of operation, a sensitivity of 0.07 dB/%V/V and a resolution better than 0.16%V/V were estimated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diffractive Optical Analysis for Refractive Index Sensing using Transparent Phase Gratings

PubMed Central

Kumawat, Nityanand; Pal, Parama; Varma, Manoj

2015-01-01

We report the implementation of a micro-patterned, glass-based photonic sensing element that is capable of label-free biosensing. The diffractive optical analyzer is based on the differential response of diffracted orders to bulk as well as surface refractive index changes. The differential read-out suppresses signal drifts and enables time-resolved determination of refractive index changes in the sample cell. A remarkable feature of this device is that under appropriate conditions, the measurement sensitivity of the sensor can be enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude due to interference between multiply reflected diffracted orders. A noise-equivalent limit of detection (LoD) of 6 × 10−7 was achieved with this technique with scope for further improvement. PMID:26578408

The DCU: the detector control unit of the SAFARI instrument onboard SPICA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clénet, A.; Ravera, L.; Bertrand, B.; Cros, A.; Hou, R.; Jackson, B. D.; van Leeuwen, B. J.; Van Loon, D.; Parot, Y.; Pointecouteau, E.; Sournac, A.; Ta, N.

2012-09-01

The SpicA FAR infrared Instrument (SAFARI) is a European instrument for the infrared domain telescope SPICA, a JAXA space mission. The SAFARI detectors are Transistor Edge Sensors (TES) arranged in 3 matrixes. The TES front end electronic is based on Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) and it does the readout of the 3500 detectors with Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) type architecture. The Detector Control Unit (DCU), contributed by IRAP, manages the readout of the TES by computing and providing the AC-bias signals (1 - 3 MHz) to the TES and by computing the demodulation of the returning signals. The SQUID being highly non-linear, the DCU has also to provide a feedback signal to increase the SQUID dynamic. Because of the propagation delay in the cables and the processing time, a classic feedback will not be stable for AC-bias frequencies up to 3 MHz. The DCU uses a specific technique to compensate for those delays: the BaseBand FeedBack (BBFB). This digital data processing is done for the 3500 pixels in parallel. Thus, to keep the DCU power budget within its allocation we have to specifically optimize the architecture of the digital circuit with respect to the power consumption. In this paper we will mainly present the DCU architecture. We will particularly focus on the BBFB technique used to linearize the SQUID and on the optimization done to reduce the power consumption of the digital processing circuit.

Design and characterization of the PREC (Prototype Readout Electronics for Counting particles)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assis, P.; Brogueira, P.; Ferreira, M.; Luz, R.; Mendes, L.

2016-08-01

The design, tests and performance of a novel, low noise, acquisition system—the PREC (Prototype Readout Electronics for Counting particles) is presented in this article. PREC is a system developed using discrete electronics for particle counting applications using RPCs (Resistive Plate Chamber) detectors. PREC can, however, be used with other kind of detectors that present fast pulses, e.g. Silicon Photomultipliers. The PREC system consists in several Front-End boards that transmit data to a purely digital Motherboard. The amplification and discrimination of the signal is performed in the Front-End boards, making them the critical component of the system. In this paper, the Front-End was tested extensively by measuring the gain, noise level, crosstalk, trigger efficiency, propagation time and power consumption. The gain shows a decrease with the working temperature and an increase with the power supply voltage. The Front-End board shows a low noise level (<= 1.6 mV at 3σ level) and no crosstalk is detected above this level. The s-curve of the trigger efficiency is characterized by a 3 mV gap from the region where most of the signals are triggered to almost no signal is triggered. The signal transit time between the Front-End input and the digital Motherboard is estimated to be 5.82 ns. The maximum power consumption is 3.372 W for the Motherboard and 3.576 W and 1.443 W for each Front-End analogue circuitry and digital part, respectively.

Digital Hadron Calorimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilki, Burak

2018-03-01

The Particle Flow Algorithms attempt to measure each particle in a hadronic jet individually, using the detector providing the best energy/momentum resolution. Therefore, the spatial segmentation of the calorimeter plays a crucial role. In this context, the CALICE Collaboration developed the Digital Hadron Calorimeter. The Digital Hadron Calorimeter uses Resistive Plate Chambers as active media and has a 1-bit resolution (digital) readout of 1 × 1 cm2 pads. The calorimeter was tested with steel and tungsten absorber structures, as well as with no absorber structure, at the Fermilab and CERN test beam facilities over several years. In addition to conventional calorimetric measurements, the Digital Hadron Calorimeter offers detailed measurements of event shapes, rigorous tests of simulation models and various tools for improved performance due to its very high spatial granularity. Here we report on the results from the analysis of pion and positron events. Results of comparisons with the Monte Carlo simulations are also discussed. The analysis demonstrates the unique utilization of detailed event topologies.

Moire measuring technology for three-dimensional profile of the object

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Yanjun; Yang, Kuntao

2006-02-01

An optical system is designed to get projection of the transmission grating, the deformed grating is obtained on surface of the object. The image of the deformed grating is given by the lens, the reference grating is put on the place of the image, and then the moire fringe is obtained. The amplify principle of the moire fringe is used to measure the profile of the object. The optical principle of the projection is analyzed. And the relation between the phase and the height of object is deduced. From the different point of geometry optics and the physics opticsl, the optical system is analyzed, the factors that influence the image equality and the measuring result are obtained. So the betterment of improving the measuring precision is brought forward, and in the later information processing, because of the diffuse reflection, the image equality is not very well. In order to get a good image, the digital filter is used to filter the noise and smooth the image firstly. Then in order to improve the measure precision, the subdivision technology is applied. The Fourier transform profilometry and phase shifting technology is used in the calculation. A detail analyses is done both in time field and frequency field. And the method of improving the measuring precision is put forward. A good digital filter algorithm is brought forward in the Fourier transform profilometry. In the phase shifting technology, the detail formula of three-step and four-step is given. At last the phase that is relational with the high information of the object is get, but the phase is disconnected phase, after the unwrapping algorithm,the disconnected phase is changed to be the continuous phase. Taking use of the relation between the phase and height, the height is obtained. Then the three-dimensional profile of the measured object can be reconstructed. The system is very convenient for non-contact measure of profile of some objects.

Macro Pixel ASIC (MPA): the readout ASIC for the pixel-strip (PS) module of the CMS outer tracker at HL-LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceresa, D.; Marchioro, A.; Kloukinas, K.; Kaplon, J.; Bialas, W.; Re, V.; Traversi, G.; Gaioni, L.; Ratti, L.

2014-11-01

The CMS tracker at HL-LHC is required to provide prompt information on particles with high transverse momentum to the central Level 1 trigger. For this purpose, the innermost part of the outer tracker is based on a combination of a pixelated sensor with a short strip sensor, the so-called Pixel-Strip module (PS). The readout of these sensors is carried out by distinct ASICs, the Strip Sensor ASIC (SSA), for the strip layer, and the Macro Pixel ASIC (MPA) for the pixel layer. The processing of the data directly on the front-end module represents a design challenge due to the large data volume (30720 pixels and 1920 strips per module) and the limited power budget. This is the reason why several studies have been carried out to find the best compromise between ASICs performance and power consumption. This paper describes the current status of the MPA ASIC development where the logic for generating prompt information on particles with high transverse momentum is implemented. An overview of the readout method is presented with particular attention on the cluster reduction, position encoding and momentum discrimination logic. Concerning the architectural studies, a software test bench capable of reading physics Monte-Carlo generated events has been developed and used to validate the MPA design and to evaluate the MPA performance. The MPA-Light is scheduled to be submitted for fabrication this year and will include the full analog functions and a part of the digital logic of the final version in order to qualify the chosen VLSI technology for the analog front-end, the module assembly and the low voltage digital supply.

Digital Droplet PCR: CNV Analysis and Other Applications.

PubMed

Mazaika, Erica; Homsy, Jason

2014-07-14

Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) is an assay that combines state-of-the-art microfluidics technology with TaqMan-based PCR to achieve precise target DNA quantification at high levels of sensitivity and specificity. Because quantification is achieved without the need for standard assays in an easy to interpret, unambiguous digital readout, ddPCR is far simpler, faster, and less error prone than real-time qPCR. The basic protocol can be modified with minor adjustments to suit a wide range of applications, such as CNV analysis, rare variant detection, SNP genotyping, and transcript quantification. This unit describes the ddPCR workflow in detail for the Bio-Rad QX100 system, but the theory and data interpretation are generalizable to any ddPCR system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Construction of a technological semi-digital hadronic calorimeter using GRPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laktineh, I.

2011-04-01

A high-granularity semi-digital Hadronic calorimeter using GRPC as sensitive medium is one of the two HCAL options considered by the ILD collaboration to be proposed for the detector of the future International Linear Collider project. A prototype of 1m3 has been conceived within the CALICE collaboration in order to validate this option. The prototype intends to be as close as possible to the one proposed in the ILD Letter Of Intent. Few units made of 1m2 GRPC fully equipped with semi-digital readout electronics and new gas distribution design were produced and successfully tested. In 2010 we intend to produce 40 similar units to be inserted in a self-supporting mechanical structure. The prototype will then be exposed to TestBeams at CERN for final validation.

A custom readout electronics for the BESIII CGEM detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Rocha Rolo, M.; Alexeev, M.; Amoroso, A.; Baldini Ferroli, R.; Bertani, M.; Bettoni, D.; Bianchi, F.; Bugalho, R.; Calcaterra, A.; Canale, N.; Capodiferro, M.; Carassiti, V.; Cerioni, S.; Chai, J. Y.; Chiozzi, S.; Cibinetto, G.; Cossio, F.; Cotta Ramusino, A.; De Mori, F.; Destefanis, M.; Di Francesco, A.; Dong, J.; Evangelisti, F.; Farinelli, R.; Fava, L.; Felici, G.; Fioravanti, E.; Garzia, I.; Gatta, M.; Greco, M.; Lavezzi, L.; Leng, C. Y.; Li, H.; Maggiora, M.; Malaguti, R.; Marcello, S.; Marciniewski, P.; Melchiorri, M.; Mezzadri, G.; Mignone, M.; Morello, G.; Pacetti, S.; Patteri, P.; Pellegrino, J.; Pelosi, A.; Rivetti, A.; Savrié, M.; Scodeggio, M.; Soldani, E.; Sosio, S.; Spataro, S.; Tskhadadze, E.; Varela, J.; Verma, S.; Wheadon, R.; Yan, L.

2017-07-01

For the upgrade of the inner tracker of the BESIII spectrometer, planned for 2018, a lightweight tracker based on an innovative Cylindrical Gas Electron Multiplier (CGEM) detector is now under development. The analogue readout of the CGEM enables the use of a charge centroid algorithm to improve the spatial resolution to better than 130 μm while loosening the pitch strip to 650 μm, which allows to reduce the total number of channels to about 10 000. The channels are readout by 160 dedicated integrated 64-channel front-end ASICs, providing a time and charge measurement and featuring a fully-digital output. The energy measurement is extracted either from the time-over-threshold (ToT) or the 10-bit digitisation of the peak amplitude of the signal. The time of the event is generated by quad-buffered low-power TDCs, allowing for rates in excess of 60 kHz per channel. The TDCs are based on analogue interpolation techniques and produce a time stamp (or two, if working in ToT mode) of the event with a time resolution better than 50 ps. The front-end noise, based on a CSA and a two-stage complex conjugated pole shapers, dominate the channel intrinsic time jitter, which is less than 5 ns r.m.s. The time information of the hit can be used to reconstruct the track path, operating the detector as a small TPC and hence improving the position resolution when the distribution of the cloud, due to large incident angle or magnetic field, is very broad. Event data is collected by an off-detector motherboard, where each GEM-ROC readout card handles 4 ASIC carrier FEBs (512 channels). Configuration upload and data readout between the off-detector electronics and the VME-based data collector cards are managed by bi-directional fibre optical links. This paper covers the design of a custom front-end electronics for the readout of the new inner tracker of the BESIII experiment, addressing the relevant design aspects of the detector electronics and the front-end ASIC for the CGEM readout, and reviewing the first silicon results of the chip prototype.

Optimization of an ultralow-dose high-resolution pediatric PET scanner design based on monolithic scintillators with dual-sided digital SiPM readout: a simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhaylova, Ekaterina; Tabacchini, Valerio; Borghi, Giacomo; Mollet, Pieter; D'Hoe, Ester; Schaart, Dennis R.; Vandenberghe, Stefaan

2017-11-01

The goal of this simulation study is the performance evaluation and comparison of six potential designs for a time-of-flight PET scanner for pediatric patients of up to about 12 years of age. It is designed to have a high sensitivity and provide high-contrast and high-resolution images. The simulated pediatric PET is a full ring scanner, consisting of 32  ×  32 mm2 monolithic LYSO:Ce crystals coupled to digital silicon photomultiplier arrays. The six considered designs differ in axial lengths (27.2 cm, 54.4 cm and 102 cm) and crystal thicknesses (22 mm and 11 mm). The simulations are based on measured detector response data. We study two possible detector arrangements: 22 mm-thick crystals with dual-sided readout and 11 mm-thick crystals with back-sided readout. The six designs are simulated by means of the GEANT4 application for tomographic emission software, using the measured spatial, energy and time response of the monolithic scintillator detectors as input. The performance of the six designs is compared on the basis of four studies: (1) spatial resolution; (2) NEMA NU2-2012 sensitivity and scatter fraction (SF) tests; (3) non-prewhitening signal-to-noise ratio observer study; and (4) receiver operating characteristics analysis. Based on the results, two designs are identified as cost-effective solutions for fast and efficient imaging of children: one with 54.4 cm axial field-of-view (FOV) and 22 mm-thick crystals, and another one with 102 cm axial FOV and 11 cm-thick crystals. The first one has a higher center point sensitivity than the second one, but requires dual-sided readout. The second design has the advantage of allowing a whole-body scan in a single bed position acquisition. Both designs have the potential to provide an excellent spatial resolution (˜2 mm) and an ultra-high sensitivity (>100 cps kBq-1 ).

MO-F-CAMPUS-J-03: Development of a Human Brain PET for On-Line Proton Beam-Range Verification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shao, Yiping

Purpose: To develop a prototype PET for verifying proton beam-range before each fractionated therapy that will enable on-line re-planning proton therapy. Methods: Latest “edge-less” silicon photomultiplier arrays and customized ASIC readout electronics were used to develop PET detectors with depth-of-interaction (DOI) measurement capability. Each detector consists of one LYSO array with each end coupled to a SiPM array. Multiple detectors can be seamlessly tiled together to form a large detector panel. Detectors with 1.5×1.5 and 2.0×2.0 mm crystals at 20 or 30 mm lengths were studied. Readout of individual SiPM or signal multiplexing was used to transfer 3D interaction position-codedmore » analog signals through flexible-print-circuit cables or PCB board to dedicated ASIC front-end electronics to output digital timing pulses that encode interaction information. These digital pulses can be transferred to, through standard LVDS cables, and decoded by a FPGA-based data acquisition of coincidence events and data transfer. The modular detector and scalable electronics/data acquisition will enable flexible PET system configuration for different imaging geometry. Results: Initial detector performance measurement shows excellent crystal identification even with 30 mm long crystals, ∼18% and 2.8 ns energy and timing resolutions, and around 2–3 mm DOI resolution. A small prototype PET scanner with one detector ring has been built and evaluated, validating the technology and design. A large size detector panel has been fabricated by scaling up from modular detectors. Different designs of resistor and capacitor based signal multiplexing boards were tested and selected based on optimal crystal identification and timing performance. Stackable readout electronics boards and FPGA-based data acquisition boards were developed and tested. A brain PET is under construction. Conclusion: Technology of large-size DOI detector based on SiPM array and advanced readout has been developed. PET imaging performance and initial phantom studies of on-line proton beam-range measurement will be conducted and reported. NIH grant R21CA187717; Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant RP120326.« less

Advanced X-ray Imaging Crystal Spectrometer for Magnetic Fusion Tokamak Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. G.; Bak, J. G.; Bog, M. G.; Nam, U. W.; Moon, M. K.; Cheon, J. K.

2008-03-01

An advanced X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer is currently under development using a segmented position sensitive detector and time-to-digital converter (TDC) based delay-line readout electronics for burning plasma diagnostics. The proposed advanced XICS utilizes an eight-segmented position sensitive multi-wire proportional counter and supporting electronics to increase the spectrometer performance includes the photon count-rate capability and spatial resolution.

SAPHIRE: A New Flat-Panel Digital Mammography Detector With Avalanche Photoconductor and High-Resolution Field Emitter Readout

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

work by Marshak et al.,9 who was studying neutron diffusion, and by Hamaker ,10 who had calculated the light emitted from a layer of x-ray fluorescent...diffusion and slowing down of neutrons,” Nucleonics 4, 10–22 1949. 10H. C. Hamaker , “Radiation and heat conduction in light scattering mate- rials

Three common faults in current practice that influence the validity of data obtained from electronic air pollution instrumentation.

PubMed

Dowd, G; Thomas, R S; Monkman, J L

1975-01-01

Instrumental development is now entering a more logical era, where the former artistic character of electronics is being replaced by cold technology. Because of this, one should be expect more reliability; however, there still exist many weak links in practical application. Digital readout systems and computer processing induce a false sense of security. In reality, it is the sample-measurement relationship that determines an instrument's credibility and not the number of digits on its meter. In describing three faulty practices that greatly influence an instrument's performance, it is hoped that measurement may be more closely related to the sample!

Planetary investigation utilizing an imaging spectrometer system based upon charge injection technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wattson, R. B.; Harvey, P.; Swift, R.

1975-01-01

An intrinsic silicon charge injection device (CID) television sensor array has been used in conjunction with a CaMoO4 colinear tunable acousto optic filter, a 61 inch reflector, a sophisticated computer system, and a digital color TV scan converter/computer to produce near IR images of Saturn and Jupiter with 10A spectral resolution and approximately 3 inch spatial resolution. The CID camera has successfully obtained digitized 100 x 100 array images with 5 minutes of exposure time, and slow-scanned readout to a computer. Details of the equipment setup, innovations, problems, experience, data and final equipment performance limits are given.

Slit-scanning differential phase-contrast mammography: first experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roessl, Ewald; Daerr, Heiner; Koehler, Thomas; Martens, Gerhard; van Stevendaal, Udo

2014-03-01

The demands for a large field-of-view (FOV) and the stringent requirements for a stable acquisition geometry rank among the major obstacles for the translation of grating-based, differential phase-contrast techniques from the laboratory to clinical applications. While for state-of-the-art Full-Field-Digital Mammography (FFDM) FOVs of 24 cm x 30 cm are common practice, the specifications for mechanical stability are naturally derived from the detector pixel size which ranges between 50 and 100 μm. However, in grating-based, phasecontrast imaging, the relative placement of the gratings in the interferometer must be guaranteed to within micro-meter precision. In this work we report on first experimental results on a phase-contrast x-ray imaging system based on the Philips MicroDose L30 mammography unit. With the proposed approach we achieve a FOV of about 65 mm x 175 mm by the use of the slit-scanning technique. The demand for mechanical stability on a micrometer scale was relaxed by the specific interferometer design, i.e., a rigid, actuator-free mount of the phase-grating G1 with respect to the analyzer-grating G2 onto a common steel frame. The image acquisition and formation processes are described and first phase-contrast images of a test object are presented. A brief discussion of the shortcomings of the current approach is given, including the level of remaining image artifacts and the relatively inefficient usage of the total available x-ray source output.

Development of a multiplexed readout with high position resolution for positron emission tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sangwon; Choi, Yong; Kang, Jihoon; Jung, Jin Ho

2017-04-01

Detector signals for positron emission tomography (PET) are commonly multiplexed to reduce the number of digital processing channels so that the system can remain cost effective while also maintaining imaging performance. In this work, a multiplexed readout combining Anger position estimation algorithm and position decoder circuit (PDC) was developed to reduce the number of readout channels by a factor of 24, 96-to-4. The data acquisition module consisted of a TDC (50 ps resolution), 4-channel ADCs (12 bit, 105 MHz sampling rate), 2 GB SDRAM and USB3.0. The performance of the multiplexed readout was assessed with a high-resolution PET detector block composed of 2×3 detector modules, each consisting of an 8×8 array of 1.52×1.52×6 mm3 LYSO, a 4×4 array of 3×3 mm2 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) and 13.4×13.4 mm2 light guide with 0.7 mm thickness. The acquired flood histogram showed that all 384 crystals could be resolved. The average energy resolution at 511 keV was 13.7±1.6% full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) and the peak-to-valley ratios of the flood histogram on the horizontal and vertical lines were 18.8±0.8 and 22.8±1.3, respectively. The coincidence resolving time of a pair of detector blocks was 6.2 ns FWHM. The reconstructed phantom image showed that rods down to a diameter of 1.6 mm could be resolved. The results of this study indicate that the multiplexed readout would be useful in developing a PET with a spatial resolution less than the pixel size of the photosensor, such as a SiPM array.

Prototype readout system for a multi Mpixels UV single-photon imaging detector capable of space flight operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seljak, A.; Cumming, H. S.; Varner, G.; Vallerga, J.; Raffanti, R.; Virta, V.

2018-02-01

Our collaboration works on the development of a large aperture, high resolution, UV single-photon imaging detector, funded through NASA's Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program. The detector uses a microchannel plate for charge multiplication, and orthogonal cross strip (XS) anodes for charge readout. Our target is to make an advancement in the technology readiness level (TRL), which enables real scale prototypes to be tested for future NASA missions. The baseline detector has an aperture of 50×50 mm and requires 160 low-noise charge-sensitive channels, in order to extrapolate the incoming photon position with a spatial resolution of about 20 μm FWHM. Technologies involving space flight require highly integrated electronic systems operating at very low power. We have designed two ASICs which enable the construction of such readout system. First, a charge sensitive amplifier (CSAv3) ASIC provides an equivalent noise charge (ENC) of around 600 e-, and a baseline gain of 10 mV/fC. The second, a Giga Sample per Second (GSPS) ASIC, called HalfGRAPH, is a 12-bit analog to digital converter. Its architecture is based on waveform sampling capacitor arrays and has about 8 μs of analog storage memory per channel. Both chips encapsulate 16 measurement channels. Using these chips, a small scale prototype readout system has been constructed on a FPGA Mezzanine Board (FMC), equipped with 32 measurement channels for system evaluation. We describe the construction of HalfGRAPH ASIC, detector's readout system concept and obtained results from the prototype system. As part of the space flight qualification, these chips were irradiated with a Cobalt gamma-ray source, to verify functional operation under ionizing radiation exposure.

Digital radiology using active matrix readout: amplified pixel detector array for fluoroscopy.

PubMed

Matsuura, N; Zhao, W; Huang, Z; Rowlands, J A

1999-05-01

Active matrix array technology has made possible the concept of flat panel imaging systems for radiography. In the conventional approach a thin-film circuit built on glass contains the necessary switching components (thin-film transistors or TFTs) to readout an image formed in either a phosphor or photoconductor layer. Extension of this concept to real time imaging--fluoroscopy--has had problems due to the very low noise required. A new design strategy for fluoroscopic active matrix flat panel detectors has therefore been investigated theoretically. In this approach, the active matrix has integrated thin-film amplifiers and readout electronics at each pixel and is called the amplified pixel detector array (APDA). Each amplified pixel consists of three thin-film transistors: an amplifier, a readout, and a reset TFT. The performance of the APDA approach compared to the conventional active matrix was investigated for two semiconductors commonly used to construct active matrix arrays--hydrogenated amorphous silicon and polycrystalline silicon. The results showed that with amplification close to the pixel, the noise from the external charge preamplifiers becomes insignificant. The thermal and flicker noise of the readout and the amplifying TFTs at the pixel become the dominant sources of noise. The magnitude of these noise sources is strongly dependent on the TFT geometry and its fabrication process. Both of these could be optimized to make the APDA active matrix operate at lower noise levels than is possible with the conventional approach. However, the APDA cannot be made to operate ideally (i.e., have noise limited only by the amount of radiation used) at the lowest exposure rate required in medical fluoroscopy.

A front-end readout mixed chip for high-efficiency small animal PET imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ollivier-Henry, N.; Berst, J. D.; Colledani, C.; Hu-Guo, Ch.; Mbow, N. A.; Staub, D.; Guyonnet, J. L.; Hu, Y.

2007-02-01

Today, the main challenge of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) systems dedicated to small animal imaging is to obtain high detection efficiency and a highly accurate localization of radioisotopes. If we focus only on the PET characteristics such as the spatial resolution, its accuracy depends on the design of detector and on the electronics readout system as well. In this paper, we present a new design of such readout system with full custom submicrometer CMOS implementation. The front end chip consists of two main blocks from which the energy information and the time stamp with subnanosecond resolution can be obtained. In our A Multi-Modality Imaging System for Small Animal (AMISSA) PET system design, a matrix of LYSO crystals has to be read at each end by a 64 channels multianode photomultiplier tube. A specific readout electronic has been developed at the Hubert Curien Multidisciplinary Institute (IPHC, France). The architecture of this readout for the energy information detection is composed of a low-noise preamplifier, a CR-RC shaper and an analogue memory. In order to obtain the required dynamic range from 15 to 650 photoelectrons with good linearity, a current mode approach has been chosen for the preamplifier. To detect the signal with a temporal resolution of 1 ns, a comparator with a very low threshold (˜0.3 photoelectron) has been implemented. It gives the time reference of arrival signal coming from the detector. In order to obtain the time coincidence with a temporal resolution of 1 ns, a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) based on a Delay-Locked-Loop (DLL) has been designed. The chip is fabricated with AMS 0.35 μm process. The ASIC architecture and some simulation results will be presented in the paper.

Simultaneous two-wavelength tri-window common-path digital holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lei; Shan, Mingguang; Zhong, Zhi

2018-06-01

Two-wavelength common-path off-axis digital holography is proposed with a tri-window in a single shot. It is established using a standard 4f optical image system with a 2D Ronchi grating placed outside the Fourier plane. The input plane consists of three windows: one for the object and the other two for reference. Aided by a spatial filter together with two orthogonal linear polarizers in the Fourier plane, the two-wavelength information is encoded into a multiplexed hologram with two orthogonal spatial frequencies that enable full separation of spectral information in the digital Fourier space without resolution loss. Theoretical analysis and experimental results illustrate that our approach can simultaneously perform quantitative phase imaging at two wavelengths.

Data Processing for a High Resolution Preclinical PET Detector Based on Philips DPC Digital SiPMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schug, David; Wehner, Jakob; Goldschmidt, Benjamin; Lerche, Christoph; Dueppenbecker, Peter Michael; Hallen, Patrick; Weissler, Bjoern; Gebhardt, Pierre; Kiessling, Fabian; Schulz, Volkmar

2015-06-01

In positron emission tomography (PET) systems, light sharing techniques are commonly used to readout scintillator arrays consisting of scintillation elements, which are smaller than the optical sensors. The scintillating element is then identified evaluating the signal heights in the readout channels using statistical algorithms, the center of gravity (COG) algorithm being the simplest and mostly used one. We propose a COG algorithm with a fixed number of input channels in order to guarantee a stable calculation of the position. The algorithm is implemented and tested with the raw detector data obtained with the Hyperion-II D preclinical PET insert which uses Philips Digital Photon Counting's (PDPC) digitial SiPMs. The gamma detectors use LYSO scintillator arrays with 30 ×30 crystals of 1 ×1 ×12 mm3 in size coupled to 4 ×4 PDPC DPC 3200-22 sensors (DPC) via a 2-mm-thick light guide. These self-triggering sensors are made up of 2 ×2 pixels resulting in a total of 64 readout channels. We restrict the COG calculation to a main pixel, which captures most of the scintillation light from a crystal, and its (direct and diagonal) neighboring pixels and reject single events in which this data is not fully available. This results in stable COG positions for a crystal element and enables high spatial image resolution. Due to the sensor layout, for some crystals it is very likely that a single diagonal neighbor pixel is missing as a result of the low light level on the corresponding DPC. This leads to a loss of sensitivity, if these events are rejected. An enhancement of the COG algorithm is proposed which handles the potentially missing pixel separately both for the crystal identification and the energy calculation. Using this advancement, we show that the sensitivity of the Hyperion-II D insert using the described scintillator configuration can be improved by 20-100% for practical useful readout thresholds of a single DPC pixel ranging from 17-52 photons. Furthermore, we show that the energy resolution of the scanner is superior for all readout thresholds if singles with a single missing pixel are accepted and correctly handled compared to the COG method only accepting singles with all neighbors present by 0-1.6% (relative difference). The presented methods can not only be applied to gamma detectors employing DPC sensors, but can be generalized to other similarly structured and self-triggering detectors, using light sharing techniques, as well.

A Front-End electronics board for single photo-electron timing and charge from MaPMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giordano, F.; Breton, D.; Beigbeder, C.; De Robertis, G.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Liuzzi, R.; Loparco, F.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Rizzi, V.; Tocut, V.

2013-08-01

A Front-End (FE) design based on commercial operational amplifiers has been developed to read-out signals from a Multianode PhotoMultiplier Tube (MaPMT). The overall design has been optimised for single photo-electron signal from the Hamamatsu H8500. The signal is collected by a current sensitive preamplifier and then it is fed into both a ECL fast discriminator and a shaper for analog output readout in differential mode. The analog signal and the digital gates are then registered on VME ADC and TDC modules respectively. Performances in terms of linearity, gain and timing resolution will be discussed, presenting results obtained on a test bench with differentiated step voltage inputs and also with a prototype electronic board plugged into the H8500 PMT illuminated by a picosecond laser.

Front-end Design and Characterization for the ν-Angra Nuclear Reactor Monitoring Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dornelas, T. I.; Araújo, F. T. H.; Cerqueira, A. S.; Costa, J. A.; Nóbrega, R. A.

2016-07-01

The Neutrinos Angra (ν-Angra) Experiment aims to construct an antineutrinos detection device capable of monitoring the Angra dos Reis nuclear reactor activity. Nuclear reactors are intense sources of antineutrinos, and the thermal power released in the fission process is directly related to the flow rate of these particles. The antineutrinos energy spectrum also provides valuable information on the nuclear source isotopic composition. The proposed detector will be equipped with photomultipliers tubes (PMT) which will be readout by a custom Amplifier-Shaper-Discriminator circuit designed to condition its output signals to the acquisition modules to be digitized and processed by an FPGA. The readout circuit should be sensitive to single photoelectron signals, process fast signals, with a full-width-half-amplitude of about 5 ns, have a narrow enough output pulse width to detect both particles coming out from the inverse beta decay (bar nue+p → n + e+), and its output amplitude should be linear to the number of photoelectrons generated inside the PMT, used for energy estimation. In this work, some of the main PMT characteristics are measured and a new readout circuit is proposed, described and characterized.

MKID digital readout tuning with deep learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodkins, R.; Mahashabde, S.; O'Brien, K.; Thatte, N.; Fruitwala, N.; Walter, A. B.; Meeker, S. R.; Szypryt, P.; Mazin, B. A.

2018-04-01

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) devices offer inherent spectral resolution, simultaneous read out of thousands of pixels, and photon-limited sensitivity at optical wavelengths. Before taking observations the readout power and frequency of each pixel must be individually tuned, and if the equilibrium state of the pixels change, then the readout must be retuned. This process has previously been performed through manual inspection, and typically takes one hour per 500 resonators (20 h for a ten-kilo-pixel array). We present an algorithm based on a deep convolution neural network (CNN) architecture to determine the optimal bias power for each resonator. The bias point classifications from this CNN model, and those from alternative automated methods, are compared to those from human decisions, and the accuracy of each method is assessed. On a test feed-line dataset, the CNN achieves an accuracy of 90% within 1 dB of the designated optimal value, which is equivalent accuracy to a randomly selected human operator, and superior to the highest scoring alternative automated method by 10%. On a full ten-kilopixel array, the CNN performs the characterization in a matter of minutes - paving the way for future mega-pixel MKID arrays.

Spectral characterisation and noise performance of Vanilla—an active pixel sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blue, Andrew; Bates, R.; Bohndiek, S. E.; Clark, A.; Arvanitis, Costas D.; Greenshaw, T.; Laing, A.; Maneuski, D.; Turchetta, R.; O'Shea, V.

2008-06-01

This work will report on the characterisation of a new active pixel sensor, Vanilla. The Vanilla comprises of 512×512 (25μm 2) pixels. The sensor has a 12 bit digital output for full-frame mode, although it can also be readout in analogue mode, whereby it can also be read in a fully programmable region-of-interest (ROI) mode. In full frame, the sensor can operate at a readout rate of more than 100 frames per second (fps), while in ROI mode, the speed depends on the size, shape and number of ROIs. For example, an ROI of 6×6 pixels can be read at 20,000 fps in analogue mode. Using photon transfer curve (PTC) measurements allowed for the calculation of the read noise, shot noise, full-well capacity and camera gain constant of the sensor. Spectral response measurements detailed the quantum efficiency (QE) of the detector through the UV and visible region. Analysis of the ROI readout mode was also performed. Such measurements suggest that the Vanilla APS (active pixel sensor) will be suitable for a wide range of applications including particle physics and medical imaging.

A multi-purpose readout electronics for CdTe and CZT detectors for x-ray imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, X. B.; Deng, Z.; Xing, Y. X.; Liu, Y. N.

2017-09-01

A multi-purpose readout electronics based on the DPLMS digital filter has been developed for CdTe and CZT detectors for X-ray imaging applications. Different filter coefficients can be synthesized optimized either for high energy resolution at relatively low counting rate or for high rate photon-counting with reduced energy resolution. The effects of signal width constraints, sampling rate and length were numerical studied by Mento Carlo simulation with simple CRRC shaper input signals. The signal width constraint had minor effect and the ENC was only increased by 6.5% when the signal width was shortened down to 2 τc. The sampling rate and length depended on the characteristic time constants of both input and output signals. For simple CR-RC input signals, the minimum number of the filter coefficients was 12 with 10% increase in ENC when the output time constant was close to the input shaping time. A prototype readout electronics was developed for demonstration, using a previously designed analog front ASIC and a commercial ADC card. Two different DPLMS filters were successfully synthesized and applied for high resolution and high counting rate applications respectively. The readout electronics was also tested with a linear array CdTe detector. The energy resolutions of Am-241 59.5 keV peak were measured to be 6.41% in FWHM for the high resolution filter and to be 13.58% in FWHM for the high counting rate filter with 160 ns signal width constraint.

Development of an integrated four-channel fast avalanche-photodiode detector system with nanosecond time resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhenjie; Li, Qiuju; Chang, Jinfan; Ma, Yichao; Liu, Peng; Wang, Zheng; Hu, Michael Y.; Zhao, Jiyong; Alp, E. E.; Xu, Wei; Tao, Ye; Wu, Chaoqun; Zhou, Yangfan

2017-10-01

A four-channel nanosecond time-resolved avalanche-photodiode (APD) detector system is developed at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation. It uses a single module for signal processing and readout. This integrated system provides better reliability and flexibility for custom improvement. The detector system consists of three parts: (i) four APD sensors, (ii) four fast preamplifiers and (iii) a time-digital-converter (TDC) readout electronics. The C30703FH silicon APD chips fabricated by Excelitas are used as the sensors of the detectors. It has an effective light-sensitive area of 10 × 10 mm2 and an absorption layer thickness of 110 μm. A fast preamplifier with a gain of 59 dB and bandwidth of 2 GHz is designed to readout of the weak signal from the C30703FH APD. The TDC is realized by a Spartan-6 field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) with multiphase method in a resolution of 1ns. The arrival time of all scattering events between two start triggers can be recorded by the TDC. The detector has been used for nuclear resonant scattering study at both Advanced Photon Source and also at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. For the X-ray energy of 14.4 keV, the time resolution, the full width of half maximum (FWHM) of the detector (APD sensor + fast amplifier) is 0.86 ns, and the whole detector system (APD sensors + fast amplifiers + TDC readout electronics) achieves a time resolution of 1.4 ns.

Reality and Surreality of 3-D Displays: Holodeck and Beyond

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

are 2-D interference patterns and may, in principal, be written on a 2-D recording medium whose response is a function of intensity (e.g. photographic...devices based on reflective digital micromirror devices ( DMD ), or 1-D grading light valves. Photorefractive crystals include tantalum dioxide, lithium...Hologram readout is a diffractive interference phenomenon, which becomes significant when electromagnetic radiation encounters structures (e.g. pixels of

The beam test of muon detector parameters for the SHiP experiment at CERN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Likhacheva, V. L.; Kudenko, Yu. G.; Mefodiev, A. V.; Mineev, O. V.; Khotyantsev, A. N.

2018-01-01

Scintillation detectors based on extruded plastics have been tested in a 10 GeV/c beam at CERN. The scintillation signal readout was provided using optical wavelength shifting fibers Y11 Kuraray and Hamamatsu MPPC micropixel avalanche photodiodes. The light yield was scanned along and across the detectors. Time resolution was found by fitting the MPPC digitized pulse rise and other methods.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giraldo, L. Ocampo; Bolotnikov, A. E.; Camarda, G. S.

For this study, we evaluated the X-Y position resolution achievable in 3D pixelated detectors by processing the signal waveforms readout from neighboring pixels. In these measurements we used a focused light beam, down to 10 μm, generated by a ~1 mW pulsed laser (650 nm) to carry out raster scans over selected 3×3 pixel areas, while recording the charge signals from the 9 pixels and the cathode using two synchronized digital oscilloscopes.

Hybrid CMOS-Graphene Sensor Array for Subsecond Dopamine Detection.

PubMed

Nasri, Bayan; Wu, Ting; Alharbi, Abdullah; You, Kae-Dyi; Gupta, Mayank; Sebastian, Sunit P; Kiani, Roozbeh; Shahrjerdi, Davood

2017-12-01

We introduce a hybrid CMOS-graphene sensor array for subsecond measurement of dopamine via fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). The prototype chip has four independent CMOS readout channels, fabricated in a 65-nm process. Using planar multilayer graphene as biologically compatible sensing material enables integration of miniaturized sensing electrodes directly above the readout channels. Taking advantage of the chemical specificity of FSCV, we introduce a region of interest technique, which subtracts a large portion of the background current using a programmable low-noise constant current at about the redox potentials. We demonstrate the utility of this feature for enhancing the sensitivity by measuring the sensor response to a known dopamine concentration in vitro at three different scan rates. This strategy further allows us to significantly reduce the dynamic range requirements of the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) without compromising the measurement accuracy. We show that an integrating dual-slope ADC is adequate for digitizing the background-subtracted current. The ADC operates at a sampling frequency of 5-10 kHz and has an effective resolution of about 60 pA, which corresponds to a theoretical dopamine detection limit of about 6 nM. Our hybrid sensing platform offers an effective solution for implementing next-generation FSCV devices that can enable precise recording of dopamine signaling in vivo on a large scale.

High-Accuracy, Compact Scanning Method and Circuit for Resistive Sensor Arrays

PubMed Central

Kim, Jong-Seok; Kwon, Dae-Yong; Choi, Byong-Deok

2016-01-01

The zero-potential scanning circuit is widely used as read-out circuit for resistive sensor arrays because it removes a well known problem: crosstalk current. The zero-potential scanning circuit can be divided into two groups based on type of row drivers. One type is a row driver using digital buffers. It can be easily implemented because of its simple structure, but we found that it can cause a large read-out error which originates from on-resistance of the digital buffers used in the row driver. The other type is a row driver composed of operational amplifiers. It, very accurately, reads the sensor resistance, but it uses a large number of operational amplifiers to drive rows of the sensor array; therefore, it severely increases the power consumption, cost, and system complexity. To resolve the inaccuracy or high complexity problems founded in those previous circuits, we propose a new row driver which uses only one operational amplifier to drive all rows of a sensor array with high accuracy. The measurement results with the proposed circuit to drive a 4 × 4 resistor array show that the maximum error is only 0.1% which is remarkably reduced from 30.7% of the previous counterpart. PMID:26821029

ASIC Readout Circuit Architecture for Large Geiger Photodiode Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasile, Stefan; Lipson, Jerold

2012-01-01

The objective of this work was to develop a new class of readout integrated circuit (ROIC) arrays to be operated with Geiger avalanche photodiode (GPD) arrays, by integrating multiple functions at the pixel level (smart-pixel or active pixel technology) in 250-nm CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) processes. In order to pack a maximum of functions within a minimum pixel size, the ROIC array is a full, custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design using a mixed-signal CMOS process with compact primitive layout cells. The ROIC array was processed to allow assembly in bump-bonding technology with photon-counting infrared detector arrays into 3-D imaging cameras (LADAR). The ROIC architecture was designed to work with either common- anode Si GPD arrays or common-cathode InGaAs GPD arrays. The current ROIC pixel design is hardwired prior to processing one of the two GPD array configurations, and it has the provision to allow soft reconfiguration to either array (to be implemented into the next ROIC array generation). The ROIC pixel architecture implements the Geiger avalanche quenching, bias, reset, and time to digital conversion (TDC) functions in full-digital design, and uses time domain over-sampling (vernier) to allow high temporal resolution at low clock rates, increased data yield, and improved utilization of the laser beam.

Review of the development of diamond radiation sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, W.; Bauer, C.; Berdermann, E.; Bergonzo, P.; Bogani, F.; Borchi, E.; Brambilla, A.; Bruzzi, M.; Colledani, C.; Conway, J.; Dabrowski, W.; Delpierre, P.; Deneuville, A.; Dulinski, W.; van Eijk, B.; Fallou, A.; Fizzotti, F.; Foulon, F.; Friedl, M.; Gan, K. K.; Gheeraert, E.; Grigoriev, E.; Hallewell, G.; Hall-Wilton, R.; Han, S.; Hartjes, F.; Hrubec, J.; Husson, D.; Kagan, H.; Kania, D.; Kaplon, J.; Karl, C.; Kass, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Krammer, M.; Logiudice, A.; Lu, R.; Manfredi, P. F.; Manfredotti, C.; Marshall, R. D.; Meier, D.; Mishina, M.; Oh, A.; Pan, L. S.; Palmieri, V. G.; Pernicka, M.; Peitz, A.; Pirollo, S.; Polesello, P.; Pretzl, K.; Re, V.; Riester, J. L.; Roe, S.; Roff, D.; Rudge, A.; Schnetzer, S.; Sciortino, S.; Speziali, V.; Stelzer, H.; Stone, R.; Tapper, R. J.; Tesarek, R.; Thomson, G. B.; Trawick, M.; Trischuk, W.; Vittone, E.; Walsh, A. M.; Wedenig, R.; Weilhammer, P.; Ziock, H.; Zoeller, M.; RD42 Collaboration

1999-09-01

Diamond radiation sensors produced by chemical vapour deposition are studied for the application as tracking detectors in high luminosity experiments. Sensors with a charge collection distance up to 250 μm have been manufactured. Their radiation hardness has been studied with pions, proton and neutrons up to fluences of 1.9×10 15 π cm -2, 5×10 15 p cm -2 and 1.35×10 15 n cm -2, respectively. Diamond micro-strip detectors with 50 μm pitch have been exposed in a high-energy test beam in order to investigate their charge collection properties. The measured spatial resolution using a centre-of-gravity position finding algorithm corresponds to the digital resolution for this strip pitch. First results from a strip tracker with a 2×4 cm 2 surface area are reported as well as the performance of a diamond tracker read out by radiation-hard electronics with 25 ns shaping time. Diamond pixel sensors have been prepared to match the geometries of the recently available read-out chip prototypes for ATLAS and CMS. Beam test results are shown from a diamond detector bump-bonded to an ATLAS prototype read-out. They demonstrate a 98% bump-bonding efficiency and a digital resolution in both dimensions.

Arcus end-to-end simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilms, Joern; Guenther, H. Moritz; Dauser, Thomas; Huenemoerder, David P.; Ptak, Andrew; Smith, Randall; Arcus Team

2018-01-01

We present an overview of the end-to-end simulation environment that we are implementing as part of the Arcus phase A Study. With the rcus simulator, we aim to to model the imaging, detection, and event reconstruction properties of the spectrometer. The simulator uses a Monte Carlo ray-trace approach, projecting photons onto the Arcus focal plane from the silicon pore optic mirrors and critical-angle transmission gratings. We simulate the detection and read-out of the photons in the focal plane CCDs with software originally written for the eROSITA and Athena-WFI detectors; we include all relevant detector physics, such as charge splitting, and effects of the detector read-out, such as out of time events. The output of the simulation chain is an event list that closely resembles the data expected during flight. This event list is processed using a prototype event reconstruction chain for the order separation, wavelength calibration, and effective area calibration. The output is compatible with standard X-ray astronomical analysis software.During phase A, the end-to-end simulation approach is used to demonstrate the overall performance of the mission, including a full simulation of the calibration effort. Continued development during later phases of the mission will ensure that the simulator remains a faithful representation of the true mission capabilities, and will ultimately be used as the Arcus calibration model.

Discovery of Spatial and Spectral Structure in the X-Ray Emission from the Crab Nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Hester, J. Jeff; Tennant, Allyn F.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Schulz, Norbert S.; Marshall, Herman L.; Karovska, Margarita; Nichols, Joy S.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.

2000-01-01

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory observed the Crab Nebula and pulsar during orbital calibration. Zeroth-order images with the High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) readout by the Advanced Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) Imaging Spectrometer spectroscopy array (ACIS-S) show a striking richness of X-ray structure at a resolution comparable to that of the best ground-based visible-light observations. The HETG-ACIS-S images reveal, for the first time, an X-ray inner ring within the X-ray torus, the suggestion of a hollow-tube structure for the torus, and X-ray knots along the inner ring and (perhaps) along the inward extension of the X-ray jet. Although complicated by instrumental effects and the brightness of the Crab Nebula, the spectrometric analysis shows systematic variations of the X-ray spectrum throughout the nebula.

Smartphone instrument for portable enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays

PubMed Central

Long, Kenneth D.; Yu, Hojeong; Cunningham, Brian T.

2014-01-01

We demonstrate the utilization of a smartphone camera as a spectrometer that is capable of measuring Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) at biologically-relevant concentrations with the aid of a custom cradle that aligns a diffraction grating and a collimating lens between a light source and the imaging sensor. Two example biomarkers are assayed using conventional ELISA protocols: IL-6, a protein used diagnostically for several types of cancer, and Ara h 1, one of the principle peanut allergens. In addition to the demonstration of limits of detection at medically-relevant concentrations, a screening of various cookies was completed to measure levels of peanut cross-contamination in local bakeries. The results demonstrate the utility of the instrument for quantitatively performing broad classes of homogeneous colorimetric assays, in which the endpoint readout is the color change of a liquid sample. PMID:25426311

Discovery of Spatial and Spectral Structure in the X-Ray Emission from the Crab Nebula.

PubMed

Weisskopf; Hester; Tennant; Elsner; Schulz; Marshall; Karovska; Nichols; Swartz; Kolodziejczak; O'Dell

2000-06-20

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory observed the Crab Nebula and pulsar during orbital calibration. Zeroth-order images with the High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) readout by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer spectroscopy array (ACIS-S) show a striking richness of X-ray structure at a resolution comparable to that of the best ground-based visible-light observations. The HETG-ACIS-S images reveal, for the first time, an X-ray inner ring within the X-ray torus, the suggestion of a hollow-tube structure for the torus, and X-ray knots along the inner ring and (perhaps) along the inward extension of the X-ray jet. Although complicated by instrumental effects and the brightness of the Crab Nebula, the spectrometric analysis shows systematic variations of the X-ray spectrum throughout the nebula.

A Biosensor-CMOS Platform and Integrated Readout Circuit in 0.18-μm CMOS Technology for Cancer Biomarker Detection.

PubMed

Alhoshany, Abdulaziz; Sivashankar, Shilpa; Mashraei, Yousof; Omran, Hesham; Salama, Khaled N

2017-08-23

This paper presents a biosensor-CMOS platform for measuring the capacitive coupling of biorecognition elements. The biosensor is designed, fabricated, and tested for the detection and quantification of a protein that reveals the presence of early-stage cancer. For the first time, the spermidine/spermine N1 acetyltransferase (SSAT) enzyme has been screened and quantified on the surface of a capacitive sensor. The sensor surface is treated to immobilize antibodies, and the baseline capacitance of the biosensor is reduced by connecting an array of capacitors in series for fixed exposure area to the analyte. A large sensing area with small baseline capacitance is implemented to achieve a high sensitivity to SSAT enzyme concentrations. The sensed capacitance value is digitized by using a 12-bit highly digital successive-approximation capacitance-to-digital converter that is implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The readout circuit operates in the near-subthreshold regime and provides power and area efficient operation. The capacitance range is 16.137 pF with a 4.5 fF absolute resolution, which adequately covers the concentrations of 10 mg/L, 5 mg/L, 2.5 mg/L, and 1.25 mg/L of the SSAT enzyme. The concentrations were selected as a pilot study, and the platform was shown to demonstrate high sensitivity for SSAT enzymes on the surface of the capacitive sensor. The tested prototype demonstrated 42.5 μS of measurement time and a total power consumption of 2.1 μW.

A generic readout system for astrophysical detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doumayrou, E.; Lortholary, M.

2012-09-01

We have developed a generic digital platform to fulfill the needs for the development of new detectors in astrophysics, which is used in lab, for ground-based telescopes instruments and also in prototype versions for space instruments development. This system is based on hardware FPGA electronic board (called MISE) together with software on a PC computer (called BEAR). The MISE board generates the fast clocking which reads the detectors thanks to a programmable digital sequencer and performs data acquisition, buffering of digitalized pixels outputs and interfaces with others boards. The data are then sent to the PC via a SpaceWire or Usb link. The BEAR software sets the MISE board up, makes data acquisition and enables the visualization, processing and the storage of data in line. These software tools are made of C++ and Labview (NI) on a Linux OS. MISE and BEAR make a generic acquisition architecture, on which dedicated analog boards are plugged, so that to accommodate with detectors specificity: number of pixels, the readout channels and frequency, analog bias and clock interfaces. We have used this concept to build a camera for the P-ARTEMIS project including a 256 pixels sub-millimeter bolometer detector at 10Kpixel/s (SPIE 7741-12 (2010)). For the EUCLID project, a lab camera is now working for the test of CCDs 4Mpixels at 4*200Kpixel/s. Another is working for the testing of new near infrared detectors (NIR LFSA for the ESA TRP program) 110Kpixels at 2*100Kpixels/s. Other projects are in progress for the space missions PLATO and SPICA.

A Biosensor-CMOS Platform and Integrated Readout Circuit in 0.18-μm CMOS Technology for Cancer Biomarker Detection

PubMed Central

Alhoshany, Abdulaziz; Sivashankar, Shilpa; Mashraei, Yousof; Omran, Hesham; Salama, Khaled N.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a biosensor-CMOS platform for measuring the capacitive coupling of biorecognition elements. The biosensor is designed, fabricated, and tested for the detection and quantification of a protein that reveals the presence of early-stage cancer. For the first time, the spermidine/spermine N1 acetyltransferase (SSAT) enzyme has been screened and quantified on the surface of a capacitive sensor. The sensor surface is treated to immobilize antibodies, and the baseline capacitance of the biosensor is reduced by connecting an array of capacitors in series for fixed exposure area to the analyte. A large sensing area with small baseline capacitance is implemented to achieve a high sensitivity to SSAT enzyme concentrations. The sensed capacitance value is digitized by using a 12-bit highly digital successive-approximation capacitance-to-digital converter that is implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The readout circuit operates in the near-subthreshold regime and provides power and area efficient operation. The capacitance range is 16.137 pF with a 4.5 fF absolute resolution, which adequately covers the concentrations of 10 mg/L, 5 mg/L, 2.5 mg/L, and 1.25 mg/L of the SSAT enzyme. The concentrations were selected as a pilot study, and the platform was shown to demonstrate high sensitivity for SSAT enzymes on the surface of the capacitive sensor. The tested prototype demonstrated 42.5 μS of measurement time and a total power consumption of 2.1 μW. PMID:28832523

On Certain New Methodology for Reducing Sensor and Readout Electronics Circuitry Noise in Digital Domain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kizhner, Semion; Miko, Joseph; Bradley, Damon; Heinzen, Katherine

2008-01-01

NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and upcoming cosmology science missions carry instruments with multiple focal planes populated with many large sensor detector arrays. These sensors are passively cooled to low temperatures for low-level light (L3) and near-infrared (NIR) signal detection, and the sensor readout electronics circuitry must perform at extremely low noise levels to enable new required science measurements. Because we are at the technological edge of enhanced performance for sensors and readout electronics circuitry, as determined by thermal noise level at given temperature in analog domain, we must find new ways of further compensating for the noise in the signal digital domain. To facilitate this new approach, state-of-the-art sensors are augmented at their array hardware boundaries by non-illuminated reference pixels, which can be used to reduce noise attributed to sensors. There are a few proposed methodologies of processing in the digital domain the information carried by reference pixels, as employed by the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope Projects. These methods involve using spatial and temporal statistical parameters derived from boundary reference pixel information to enhance the active (non-reference) pixel signals. To make a step beyond this heritage methodology, we apply the NASA-developed technology known as the Hilbert- Huang Transform Data Processing System (HHT-DPS) for reference pixel information processing and its utilization in reconfigurable hardware on-board a spaceflight instrument or post-processing on the ground. The methodology examines signal processing for a 2-D domain, in which high-variance components of the thermal noise are carried by both active and reference pixels, similar to that in processing of low-voltage differential signals and subtraction of a single analog reference pixel from all active pixels on the sensor. Heritage methods using the aforementioned statistical parameters in the digital domain (such as statistical averaging of the reference pixels themselves) zeroes out the high-variance components, and the counterpart components in the active pixels remain uncorrected. This paper describes how the new methodology was demonstrated through analysis of fast-varying noise components using the Hilbert-Huang Transform Data Processing System tool (HHT-DPS) developed at NASA and the high-level programming language MATLAB (Trademark of MathWorks Inc.), as well as alternative methods for correcting for the high-variance noise component, using an HgCdTe sensor data. The NASA Hubble Space Telescope data post-processing, as well as future deep-space cosmology projects on-board instrument data processing from all the sensor channels, would benefit from this effort.

Off-axis low coherence digital holographic interferometry for quantitative phase imaging with an LED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Rongli; Wang, Fan; Hu, Xiaoying; Yang, Wenqian

2017-11-01

Off-axis digital holographic interferometry with the light source of a light emitting diode (LED) is presented and its application for quantitative phase imaging in a large range with low noise is demonstrated. The scheme is implemented in a grating based Mach-Zehnder interferometer. To achieve off-axis interferometry, firstly, the collimated beam emitted from an LED is diffracted into multiple orders by a grating and they are split into two copies by a beam splitter; secondly, in the object arm the zero order of one copy is filtered in the Fourier plane and is reshaped to illuminate the sample, while in the reference arm one of its first order of another copy is selected to serve as the reference beam, and then an off-axis hologram can be obtained at the image plane. The main advantage stemming from an LED illumination is its high spatial phase resolution, due to the subdued speckle effect. The off-axis geometry enables one-shot recording of the hologram in the millisecond scale. The utility of the proposed setup is illustrated with measurements of a resolution target and part of a wing of green-lacewing, and dynamic evaporation process of an ethanol film.

The phase 1 upgrade of the CMS Pixel Front-End Driver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedl, M.; Pernicka, M.; Steininger, H.

2010-12-01

The pixel detector of the CMS experiment at the LHC is read out by analog optical links, sending the data to 9U VME Front-End Driver (FED) boards located in the electronics cavern. There are plans for the phase 1 upgrade of the pixel detector (2016) to add one more layer, while significantly cutting down the overall material budget. At the same time, the optical data transmission will be replaced by a serialized digital scheme. A plug-in board solution with a high-speed digital optical receiver has been developed for the Pixel-FED readout boards and will be presented along with first tests of the future optical link.

General purpose pulse shape analysis for fast scintillators implemented in digital readout electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asztalos, Stephen J.; Hennig, Wolfgang; Warburton, William K.

2016-01-01

Pulse shape discrimination applied to certain fast scintillators is usually performed offline. In sufficiently high-event rate environments data transfer and storage become problematic, which suggests a different analysis approach. In response, we have implemented a general purpose pulse shape analysis algorithm in the XIA Pixie-500 and Pixie-500 Express digital spectrometers. In this implementation waveforms are processed in real time, reducing the pulse characteristics to a few pulse shape analysis parameters and eliminating time-consuming waveform transfer and storage. We discuss implementation of these features, their advantages, necessary trade-offs and performance. Measurements from bench top and experimental setups using fast scintillators and XIA processors are presented.

Advanced power analysis methodology targeted to the optimization of a digital pixel readout chip design and its critical serial powering system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marconi, S.; Orfanelli, S.; Karagounis, M.; Hemperek, T.; Christiansen, J.; Placidi, P.

2017-02-01

A dedicated power analysis methodology, based on modern digital design tools and integrated with the VEPIX53 simulation framework developed within RD53 collaboration, is being used to guide vital choices for the design and optimization of the next generation ATLAS and CMS pixel chips and their critical serial powering circuit (shunt-LDO). Power consumption is studied at different stages of the design flow under different operating conditions. Significant effort is put into extensive investigations of dynamic power variations in relation with the decoupling seen by the powering network. Shunt-LDO simulations are also reported to prove the reliability at the system level.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petersen, T.; Diamond, J.; Liu, N.

The readout electronics for the resonant beam position monitors (BPMs) in the Fermilab Switchyard (SY) have been upgraded, utilizing a low noise amplifier transition board and Fermilab designed digitizer boards. The stripline BPMs are estimated to have an average signal output of between -110 dBm and -80 dBm, with an estimated peak output of -70 dBm. The external resonant circuit is tuned to the SY machine frequency of 53.10348 MHz. Both the digitizer and transition boards have variable gain in order to accommodate the large dynamic range and irregularity of the resonant extraction spill. These BPMs will aid in auto-tuningmore » of the SY beamline as well as enabling operators to monitor beam position through the spill.« less

Inflight characterization and correction of Planck/HFI analog to digital converter nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauvé, A.; Couchot, F.; Patanchon, G.; Montier, L.

2016-07-01

The Planck Satellite launched in 2009 was targeted to observe the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Back-ground (CMB) to an unprecedented sensitivity. While the Analog to Digital Converter of the HFI (High Frequency Instrument) readout electronics had not been properly characterized on ground, it has been shown to add a systematic nonlinearity effect up to 2% of the cosmological signal. This was a limiting factor for CMB science at large angular scale. We will present the in-flight analysis and method used to characterize and correct this effect down to 0.05% level. We also discuss how to avoid this kind of complex issue for future missions.

Efficient use of bit planes in the generation of motion stimuli

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulligan, Jeffrey B.; Stone, Leland S.

1988-01-01

The production of animated motion sequences on computer-controlled display systems presents a technical problem because large images cannot be transferred from disk storage to image memory at conventional frame rates. A technique is described in which a single base image can be used to generate a broad class of motion stimuli without the need for such memory transfers. This technique was applied to the generation of drifting sine-wave gratings (and by extension, sine wave plaids). For each drifting grating, sine and cosine spatial phase components are first reduced to 1 bit/pixel using a digital halftoning technique. The resulting pairs of 1-bit images are then loaded into pairs of bit planes of the display memory. To animate the patterns, the display hardware's color lookup table is modified on a frame-by-frame basis; for each frame the lookup table is set to display a weighted sum of the spatial sine and cosine phase components. Because the contrasts and temporal frequencies of the various components are mutually independent in each frame, the sine and cosine components can be counterphase modulated in temporal quadrature, yielding a single drifting grating. Using additional bit planes, multiple drifting gratings can be combined to form sine-wave plaid patterns. A large number of resultant plaid motions can be produced from a single image file because the temporal frequencies of all the components can be varied independently. For a graphics device having 8 bits/pixel, up to four drifting gratings may be combined, each having independently variable contrast and speed.

Digital signal processing the Tevatron BPM signals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cancelo, G.; James, E.; Wolbers, S.

2005-05-01

The Beam Position Monitor (TeV BPM) readout system at Fermilab's Tevatron has been updated and is currently being commissioned. The new BPMs use new analog and digital hardware to achieve better beam position measurement resolution. The new system reads signals from both ends of the existing directional stripline pickups to provide simultaneous proton and antiproton measurements. The signals provided by the two ends of the BPM pickups are processed by analog band-pass filters and sampled by 14-bit ADCs at 74.3MHz. A crucial part of this work has been the design of digital filters that process the signal. This paper describesmore » the digital processing and estimation techniques used to optimize the beam position measurement. The BPM electronics must operate in narrow-band and wide-band modes to enable measurements of closed-orbit and turn-by-turn positions. The filtering and timing conditions of the signals are tuned accordingly for the operational modes. The analysis and the optimized result for each mode are presented.« less

FERMI: a digital Front End and Readout MIcrosystem for high resolution calorimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexanian, H.; Appelquist, G.; Bailly, P.; Benetta, R.; Berglund, S.; Bezamat, J.; Blouzon, F.; Bohm, C.; Breveglieri, L.; Brigati, S.; Cattaneo, P. W.; Dadda, L.; David, J.; Engström, M.; Genat, J. F.; Givoletti, M.; Goggi, V. G.; Gong, S.; Grieco, G. M.; Hansen, M.; Hentzell, H.; Holmberg, T.; Höglund, I.; Inkinen, S. J.; Kerek, A.; Landi, C.; Ledortz, O.; Lippi, M.; Lofstedt, B.; Lund-Jensen, B.; Maloberti, F.; Mutz, S.; Nayman, P.; Piuri, V.; Polesello, G.; Sami, M.; Savoy-Navarro, A.; Schwemling, P.; Stefanelli, R.; Sundblad, R.; Svensson, C.; Torelli, G.; Vanuxem, J. P.; Yamdagni, N.; Yuan, J.; Ödmark, A.; Fermi Collaboration

1995-02-01

We present a digital solution for the front-end electronics of high resolution calorimeters at future colliders. It is based on analogue signal compression, high speed {A}/{D} converters, a fully programmable pipeline and a digital signal processing (DSP) chain with local intelligence and system supervision. This digital solution is aimed at providing maximal front-end processing power by performing waveform analysis using DSP methods. For the system integration of the multichannel device a multi-chip, silicon-on-silicon multi-chip module (MCM) has been adopted. This solution allows a high level of integration of complex analogue and digital functions, with excellent flexibility in mixing technologies for the different functional blocks. This type of multichip integration provides a high degree of reliability and programmability at both the function and the system level, with the additional possibility of customising the microsystem to detector-specific requirements. For enhanced reliability in high radiation environments, fault tolerance strategies, i.e. redundancy, reconfigurability, majority voting and coding for error detection and correction, are integrated into the design.

Latency study of the High Performance Time to Digital Converter for the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer trigger upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, X. T.; Levin, D. S.; Chapman, J. W.; Li, D. C.; Yao, Z. E.; Zhou, B.

2017-02-01

The High Performance Time to Digital Converter (HPTDC), a multi-channel ASIC designed by the CERN Microelectronics group, has been proposed for the digitization of the thin-Resistive Plate Chambers (tRPC) in the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer Phase-1 upgrade project. These chambers, to be staged for higher luminosity LHC operation, will increase trigger acceptance and reduce or eliminate the fake muon trigger rates in the barrel-endcap transition region, corresponding to pseudo-rapidity range 1<|η|<1.3. Low level trigger candidates must be flagged within a maximum latency of 1075 ns, thus imposing stringent signal processing time performance requirements on the readout system in general, and on the digitization electronics in particular. This paper investigates the HPTDC signal latency performance based on a specially designed evaluation board coupled with an external FPGA evaluation board, when operated in triggerless mode, and under hit rate conditions expected in Phase-I. This hardware based study confirms previous simulations and demonstrates that the HPTDC in triggerless operation satisfies the digitization timing requirements in both leading edge and pair modes.

Fringe-shifting single-projector moiré topography application for cotyle implantate abrasion measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rössler, Tomáš; Hrabovský, Miroslav; Pluháček, František

2005-08-01

The cotyle implantate is abraded in the body of patient and its shape changes. Information about the magnitude of abrasion is contained in the result contour map of the implantate. The locations and dimensions of abraded areas can be computed from the contours deformation. The method called the single-projector moire topography was used for the contour lines determination. The theoretical description of method is given at first. The design of the experimental set-up follows. The light grating projector was developed to realize the periodic structure on the measured surface. The method of fringe-shifting was carried out to increase the data quantity. The description of digital processing applied to the moire grating images is introduced at the end together with the examples of processed images.

Blazed Gratings Recorded in Absorbent Photopolymers.

PubMed

Fernández, Roberto; Gallego, Sergi; Márquez, Andrés; Navarro-Fuster, Víctor; Beléndez, Augusto

2016-03-15

Phase diffractive optical elements, which have many interesting applications, are usually fabricated using a photoresist. In this paper, they were made using a hybrid optic-digital system and a photopolymer as recording medium. We analyzed the characteristics of the input and recording light and then simulated the generation of blazed gratings with different spatial periods in different types of photopolymers using a diffusion model. Finally, we analyzed the output and diffraction efficiencies of the 0 and 1st order so as to compare the simulated values with those measured experimentally. We evaluated the effects of index matching in a standard PVA/AA photopolymer, and in a variation of Biophotopol, a more biocompatible photopolymer. Diffraction efficiencies near 70%, for a wavelength of 633 nm, were achieved for periods longer than 300 µm in this kind of materials.

The design, status and performance of the ZEUS central tracking detector electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cussans, D. G.; Fawcett, H. F.; Foster, B.; Gilmore, R. S.; Heath, G. P.; Llewellyn, T. J.; Malos, J.; Morgado, C. J. S.; Tapper, R. J.; Gingrich, D. M.; Harnew, N.; Hallam-Baker, P.; Nash, J.; Khatri, T.; Shield, P. D.; McArthur, I.; Topp-Jorgensen, S.; Wilson, F. F.; Allen, D.; Baird, S. A.; Carter, R.; Galagardera, S.; Gibson, M. D.; Hatley, R. S.; Jeffs, M.; Milborrow, R.; Morissey, M.; Quinton, S. P. H.; White, D. J.; Lane, J.; Nixon, G.; Postranecky, M.; Jamdagni, A. K.; Marcou, C.; Miller, D. B.; Toudup, L.

1992-05-01

The readout system developed for the ZEUS central trackign detector (CDT) is described. The CTD is required to provide an accurate measurement of the sagitta and energy loss of charged particles as well as provide fast trigger information. This must be carried out in the HERA environment in which beams cross every 96 ns. The first two aims are achieved by digitizing chamber pulses using a pipelined 104 MHz FADC system. The trigger uses a fast determination of the difference in the arrival times of a pulse at each end of the CTD. It processes this data and gives information to the ZEUS global first level trigger. The modules are housed in custom-built racks and crates and read out using a DAQ system based on Transputer readout controllers. These also monitor data quality and produce data for the ZEUS second level Trigger.

Three-dimensional cross point readout detector design for including depth information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seung-Jae; Baek, Cheol-Ha

2018-04-01

We designed a depth-encoding positron emission tomography (PET) detector using a cross point readout method with wavelength-shifting (WLS) fibers. To evaluate the characteristics of the novel detector module and the PET system, we used the DETECT2000 to perform optical photon transport in the crystal array. The GATE was also used. The detector module is made up of four layers of scintillator arrays, the five layers of WLS fiber arrays, and two sensor arrays. The WLS fiber arrays in each layer cross each other to transport light to each sensor array. The two sensor arrays are coupled to the forward and left sides of the WLS fiber array, respectively. The identification of three-dimensional pixels was determined using a digital positioning algorithm. All pixels were well decoded, with the system resolution ranging from 2.11 mm to 2.29 mm at full width at half maximum (FWHM).

SALT, a dedicated readout chip for high precision tracking silicon strip detectors at the LHCb Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bugiel, Sz.; Dasgupta, R.; Firlej, M.; Fiutowski, T.; Idzik, M.; Kuczynska, M.; Moron, J.; Swientek, K.; Szumlak, T.

2016-02-01

The Upstream Tracker (UT) silicon strip detector, one of the central parts of the tracker system of the modernised LHCb experiment, will use a new 128-channel readout ASIC called SALT. It will extract and digitise analogue signals from the UT sensors, perform digital signal processing and transmit a serial output data. The SALT is being designed in CMOS 130 nm process and uses a novel architecture comprising of analog front-end and fast (40 MSps) ultra-low power (<0.5 mW) 6-bit ADC in each channel. The prototype ASICs of important functional blocks, like analogue front-end, 6-bit SAR ADC, PLL, and DLL, were designed, fabricated and tested. A prototype of an 8-channel version of the SALT chip, comprising all important functionalities was also designed and fabricated. The architecture and design of the SALT, together with the selected preliminary tests results, are presented.

New readout integrated circuit using continuous time fixed pattern noise correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupont, Bertrand; Chammings, G.; Rapellin, G.; Mandier, C.; Tchagaspanian, M.; Dupont, Benoit; Peizerat, A.; Yon, J. J.

2008-04-01

LETI has been involved in IRFPA development since 1978; the design department (LETI/DCIS) has focused its work on new ROIC architecture since many years. The trend is to integrate advanced functions into the CMOS design to achieve cost efficient sensors production. Thermal imaging market is today more and more demanding of systems with instant ON capability and low power consumption. The purpose of this paper is to present the latest developments of fixed pattern noise continuous time correction. Several architectures are proposed, some are based on hardwired digital processing and some are purely analog. Both are using scene based algorithms. Moreover a new method is proposed for simultaneous correction of pixel offsets and sensitivities. In this scope, a new architecture of readout integrated circuit has been implemented; this architecture is developed with 0.18μm CMOS technology. The specification and the application of the ROIC are discussed in details.

Upgrading the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter Electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrió, Fernando

2013-11-01

This work summarizes the status of the on-detector and off-detector electronics developments for the Phase 2 Upgrade of the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter at the LHC scheduled around 2022. A demonstrator prototype for a slice of the calorimeter including most of the new electronics is planned to be installed in ATLAS in the middle of 2014 during the first Long Shutdown. For the on-detector readout, three different front-end boards (FEB) alternatives are being studied: a new version of the 3-in-1 card, the QIE chip and a dedicated ASIC called FATALIC. The Main Board will provide communication and control to the FEBs and the Daughter Board will transmit the digitized data to the off-detector electronics in the counting room, where the super Read-Out Driver (sROD) will perform processing tasks on them and will be the interface to the trigger levels 0, 1 and 2.

Longitudinal Assessment of Disease Sites by Attachment Level Changes and Bone Density Loss by Digital Image Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-01

subtraction readout (Klein 1967). This technique was used to investigate the early formation of periapical lesions prior to diagnosis by clinical...have investigated the diagnostic sensitivity of radiographs by determining the size, shape and position of bony lesions that can be visualized in...radiographs. Several studies using created defects in dried skulls have reported that interproximal lesions were not visible as long as the cortical plates

Smectic A Filled Birefringent Elements and Fast Switching Twisted Dual Frequency Nematic Cells Used for Digital Light Deflection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pishnyak, Oleg; Golovin, Andrii; Kreminskia, Liubov; Pouch, John J.; Miranda, Felix A.; Winker, Bruce K.; Lavrentovich, Oleg D.

2006-01-01

We describe the application of smectic A (SmA) liquid crystals for beam deflection. SmA materials can be used in digital beam deflectors (DBDs) as fillers for passive birefringent prisms. SmA prisms have high birefringence and can be constructed in a variety of shapes, including single prisms and prismatic blazed gratings of different angles and profiles. We address the challenges of uniform alignment of SmA, such as elimination of focal conic domains. Fast rotation of the incident light polarization in DBDs is achieved by an electrically switched 90 twisted nematic (TN) cell.

Shaping Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes with binary gratings using a digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Lerner, Vitaly; Shwa, David; Drori, Yehonathan; Katz, Nadav

2012-12-01

Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams are used in many research fields, including microscopy, laser cavity modes, and optical tweezing. We developed a holographic method to generate pure LG modes (amplitude and phase) with a binary amplitude-only digital micromirror device (DMD) as an alternative to the commonly used phase-only spatial light modulator. The advantages of such a DMD include very high frame rates, low cost, and high damage thresholds. We have shown that the propagating shaped beams are self-similar and their phase fronts are of helical shape as demanded. We estimate the purity of the resultant beams to be above 94%.

Signal processing for a single detector MOEMS based NIR micro spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heberer, Andreas; Grüger, Heinrich; Zimmer, Fabian; Schenk, Harald; Kenda, Andreas; Frank, Albert; Scherf, Werner

2005-10-01

The examination of spectra in the NIR range is necessary for applications like process control, element analysis or medical systems. Typically integrated NIR spectrometers are based on optical setups with diffraction grating and detector arrays. The main disadvantage is price and availability of NIR array InGaAs-based detectors. The implementation of a scanning grating chip realized in a MOEMS technology which integrates the diffractive element makes it possible to detect spectra with single detectors time resolved. Either simple InGaAs photodiodes or cooled detectors may be used. The set up is a shrinked Czerny-Turner spectrometer. The light is coupled in by an optical fibre. After focussing the light passes the scanning grating moving at 150-500 Hz in a sinusoidal way. There it is split off in the different wavelength, the monochrome intensity is caught by a second mirror and led to the detector. The detector signal is amplified by a transimpedance stage and converted to digital with 12 bit resolution. The main part of the signal processing is done by a digital signal processor, which is used to unfold the sinusoidal position and calculate the final spectra. The data rate can be up to 3 MHz, then a spectrum is acquired every 2ms by using a 500Hz Mirror. Using the DSP, the spectrometer can operate autarkic without any PC. Then the spectrum is display on a 160 x 80 pixel graphic LCD. A keypad is used to control the functions. For communication a USB port is included, additional interfaces can be realized by a 16-pin expansion port, which is freely programmable, by the system firmware.

SPIDR, a general-purpose readout system for pixel ASICs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Heijden, B.; Visser, J.; van Beuzekom, M.; Boterenbrood, H.; Kulis, S.; Munneke, B.; Schreuder, F.

2017-02-01

The SPIDR (Speedy PIxel Detector Readout) system is a flexible general-purpose readout platform that can be easily adapted to test and characterize new and existing detector readout ASICs. It is originally designed for the readout of pixel ASICs from the Medipix/Timepix family, but other types of ASICs or front-end circuits can be read out as well. The SPIDR system consists of an FPGA board with memory and various communication interfaces, FPGA firmware, CPU subsystem and an API library on the PC . The FPGA firmware can be adapted to read out other ASICs by re-using IP blocks. The available IP blocks include a UDP packet builder, 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet MAC's and a "soft core" CPU . Currently the firmware is targeted at the Xilinx VC707 development board and at a custom board called Compact-SPIDR . The firmware can easily be ported to other Xilinx 7 series and ultra scale FPGAs. The gap between an ASIC and the data acquisition back-end is bridged by the SPIDR system. Using the high pin count VITA 57 FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connector only a simple chip carrier PCB is required. A 1 and a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface handle the connection to the back-end. These can be used simultaneously for high-speed data and configuration over separate channels. In addition to the FMC connector, configurable inputs and outputs are available for synchronization with other detectors. A high resolution (≈ 27 ps bin size) Time to Digital converter is provided for time stamping events in the detector. The SPIDR system is frequently used as readout for the Medipix3 and Timepix3 ASICs. Using the 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface it is possible to read out a single chip at full bandwidth or up to 12 chips at a reduced rate. Another recent application is the test-bed for the VeloPix ASIC, which is developed for the Vertex Detector of the LHCb experiment. In this case the SPIDR system processes the 20 Gbps scrambled data stream from the VeloPix and distributes it over four 10 Gigabit Ethernet links, and in addition provides the slow and fast control for the chip.

High performance digital read out integrated circuit (DROIC) for infrared imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizuno, Genki; Olah, Robert; Oduor, Patrick; Dutta, Achyut K.; Dhar, Nibir K.

2016-05-01

Banpil Photonics has developed a high-performance Digital Read-Out Integrated Circuit (DROIC) for image sensors and camera systems targeting various military, industrial and commercial Infrared (IR) imaging applications. The on-chip digitization of the pixel output eliminates the necessity for an external analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which not only cuts costs, but also enables miniaturization of packaging to achieve SWaP-C camera systems. In addition, the DROIC offers new opportunities for greater on-chip processing intelligence that are not possible in conventional analog ROICs prevalent today. Conventional ROICs, which typically can enhance only one high performance attribute such as frame rate, power consumption or noise level, fail when simultaneously targeting the most aggressive performance requirements demanded in imaging applications today. Additionally, scaling analog readout circuits to meet such requirements leads to expensive, high-power consumption with large and complex systems that are untenable in the trend towards SWaP-C. We present the implementation of a VGA format (640x512 pixels 15μm pitch) capacitivetransimpedance amplifier (CTIA) DROIC architecture that incorporates a 12-bit ADC at the pixel level. The CTIA pixel input circuitry has two gain modes with programmable full-well capacity values of 100K e- and 500K e-. The DROIC has been developed with a system-on-chip architecture in mind, where all the timing and biasing are generated internally without requiring any critical external inputs. The chip is configurable with many parameters programmable through a serial programmable interface (SPI). It features a global shutter, low power, and high frame rates programmable from 30 up 500 frames per second in full VGA format supported through 24 LVDS outputs. This DROIC, suitable for hybridization with focal plane arrays (FPA) is ideal for high-performance uncooled camera applications ranging from near IR (NIR) and shortwave IR (SWIR) to mid-wave IR (MWIR) and long-wave IR (LWIR) spectral bands.

Transport of Nordic Seas Overflow Water into and Within the Irminger Sea: An Eddy-Resolving Simulation and Observations

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-18

grated for 20 years after initialization from rest and January temperature (T) and salinity (S) from the Generalized Digital Environmental Model ( GDEM ...coordinates, Ocean Modell., 37, 55–88. Carnes, M. R. (2009), Description and evaluation of GDEM ‐V 3.0, Tech. Rep. 724/NRL/MR/7300‐09‐9165, Nav. Res. Lab

A high-resolution time-to-digital converter using a three-level resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehghani, Asma; Saneei, Mohsen; Mahani, Ali

2016-08-01

In this article, a three-level resolution Vernier delay line time-to-digital converter (TDC) was proposed. The proposed TDC core was based on the pseudo-differential digital architecture that made it insensitive to nMOS and pMOS transistor mismatches. It also employed a Vernier delay line (VDL) in conjunction with an asynchronous read-out circuitry. The time interval resolution was equal to the difference of delay between buffers of upper and lower chains. Then, via the extra chain included in the lower delay line, resolution was controlled and power consumption was reduced. This method led to high resolution and low power consumption. The measurement results of TDC showed a resolution of 4.5 ps, 12-bit output dynamic range, and integral nonlinearity of 1.5 least significant bits. This TDC achieved the consumption of 68.43 µW from 1.1-V supply.

Calibration of gamma-ray detectors using Gaussian photopeak fitting in the multichannel spectra with a LabVIEW-based digital system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlattauer, Leo; Parali, Levent; Pechousek, Jiri; Sabikoglu, Israfil; Celiktas, Cuneyt; Tektas, Gozde; Novak, Petr; Jancar, Ales; Prochazka, Vit

2017-09-01

This paper reports on the development of a gamma-ray spectroscopic system for the (i) recording and (ii) processing of spectra. The utilized data read-out unit consists of a PCI digital oscilloscope, personal computer and LabVIEW™ programming environment. A pulse-height spectra of various sources were recorded with two NaI(Tl) detectors and analyzed, demonstrating the proper usage of the detectors. A multichannel analyzer implements the Gaussian photopeak fitting. The presented method provides results which are in compliance to the ones taken from commercial spectroscopy systems. Each individual hardware or software unit can be further utilized in different spectrometric user-systems. An application of the developed system for research and teaching purposes regarding the design of digital spectrometric systems has been successfully tested at the laboratories of the Department of Experimental Physics.

Fiber-optic extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer strain sensor with <50 pm displacement resolution using three-wavelength digital phase demodulation.

PubMed

Schmidt, M; Werther, B; Fuerstenau, N; Matthias, M; Melz, T

2001-04-09

A fiber-optic extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer strain sensor (EFPI-S) of ls = 2.5 cm sensor length using three-wavelength digital phase demodulation is demonstrated to exhibit <50 pm displacement resolution (<2nm/m strain resolution) when measuring the cross expansion of a PZT-ceramic plate. The sensing (single-mode downlead-) and reflecting fibers are fused into a 150/360 microm capillary fiber where the fusion points define the sensor length. Readout is performed using an improved version of the previously described three-wavelength digital phase demodulation method employing an arctan-phase stepping algorithm. In the resent experiments the strain sensitivity was varied via the mapping of the arctan - lookup table to the 16-Bit DA-converter range from 188.25 k /V (6 Volt range 1130 k ) to 11.7 k /Volt (range 70 k ).

Rolling Shutter Effect aberration compensation in Digital Holographic Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monaldi, Andrea C.; Romero, Gladis G.; Cabrera, Carlos M.; Blanc, Adriana V.; Alanís, Elvio E.

2016-05-01

Due to the sequential-readout nature of most CMOS sensors, each row of the sensor array is exposed at a different time, resulting in the so-called rolling shutter effect that induces geometric distortion to the image if the video camera or the object moves during image acquisition. Particularly in digital holograms recording, while the sensor captures progressively each row of the hologram, interferometric fringes can oscillate due to external vibrations and/or noises even when the object under study remains motionless. The sensor records each hologram row in different instants of these disturbances. As a final effect, phase information is corrupted, distorting the reconstructed holograms quality. We present a fast and simple method for compensating this effect based on image processing tools. The method is exemplified by holograms of microscopic biological static objects. Results encourage incorporating CMOS sensors over CCD in Digital Holographic Microscopy due to a better resolution and less expensive benefits.

A simple measuring technique of surface flow velocity to analyze the behavior of velocity fields in hydraulic engineering applications.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tellez, Jackson; Gomez, Manuel; Russo, Beniamino; Redondo, Jose M.

2015-04-01

An important achievement in hydraulic engineering is the proposal and development of new techniques for the measurement of field velocities in hydraulic problems. The technological advances in digital cameras with high resolution and high speed found in the market, and the advances in digital image processing techniques now provides a tremendous potential to measure and study the behavior of the water surface flows. This technique was applied at the Laboratory of Hydraulics at the Technical University of Catalonia - Barcelona Tech to study the 2D velocity fields in the vicinity of a grate inlet. We used a platform to test grate inlets capacity with dimensions of 5.5 m long and 4 m wide allowing a zone of useful study of 5.5m x 3m, where the width is similar of the urban road lane. The platform allows you to modify the longitudinal slopes from 0% to 10% and transversal slope from 0% to 4%. Flow rates can arrive to 200 l/s. In addition a high resolution camera with 1280 x 1024 pixels resolution with maximum speed of 488 frames per second was used. A novel technique using particle image velocimetry to measure surface flow velocities has been developed and validated with the experimental data from the grate inlets capacity. In this case, the proposed methodology can become a useful tools to understand the velocity fields of the flow approaching the inlet where the traditional measuring equipment have serious problems and limitations. References DigiFlow User Guide. (2012), (June). Russo, B., Gómez, M., & Tellez, J. (2013). Methodology to Estimate the Hydraulic Efficiency of Nontested Continuous Transverse Grates. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 139(10), 864-871. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000625 Teresa Vila (1), Jackson Tellez (1), Jesus Maria Sanchez (2), Laura Sotillos (1), Margarita Diez (3, 1), and J., & (1), M. R. (2014). Diffusion in fractal wakes and convective thermoelectric flows. Geophysical Research Abstracts - EGU General Assembly 2014. RetrievedJanuary 07, 2015, from http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2014/EGU2014-1204.pdf

Single Crystal Diamond Beam Position Monitors with Radiofrequency Electronic Readout

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Solar, B.; Graafsma, H.; Potdevin, G.

2010-06-23

Over the energy range 5{approx}30 keV a suitably contacted, thin ({approx}100 {mu}m) diamond plate can be operated in situ as a continuous monitor of X-ray beam intensity and position as the diamond absorbs only a small percentage of the incident beam. Single crystal diamond is a completely homogeneous material showing fast (ns), spatially uniform signal response and negligible (

Automatic readout micrometer

DOEpatents

Lauritzen, Ted

1982-01-01

A measuring system is disclosed for surveying and very accurately positioning objects with respect to a reference line. A principal use of this surveying system is for accurately aligning the electromagnets which direct a particle beam emitted from a particle accelerator. Prior art surveying systems require highly skilled surveyors. Prior art systems include, for example, optical surveying systems which are susceptible to operator reading errors, and celestial navigation-type surveying systems, with their inherent complexities. The present invention provides an automatic readout micrometer which can very accurately measure distances. The invention has a simplicity of operation which practically eliminates the possibilities of operator optical reading error, owning to the elimination of traditional optical alignments for making measurements. The invention has an extendable arm which carries a laser surveying target. The extendable arm can be continuously positioned over its entire length of travel by either a coarse or fine adjustment without having the fine adjustment outrun the coarse adjustment until a reference laser beam is centered on the target as indicated by a digital readout. The length of the micrometer can then be accurately and automatically read by a computer and compared with a standardized set of alignment measurements. Due to its construction, the micrometer eliminates any errors due to temperature changes when the system is operated within a standard operating temperature range.

Automatic readout micrometer

DOEpatents

Lauritzen, T.

A measuring system is described for surveying and very accurately positioning objects with respect to a reference line. A principle use of this surveying system is for accurately aligning the electromagnets which direct a particle beam emitted from a particle accelerator. Prior art surveying systems require highly skilled surveyors. Prior art systems include, for example, optical surveying systems which are susceptible to operator reading errors, and celestial navigation-type surveying systems, with their inherent complexities. The present invention provides an automatic readout micrometer which can very accurately measure distances. The invention has a simplicity of operation which practically eliminates the possibilities of operator optical reading error, owning to the elimination of traditional optical alignments for making measurements. The invention has an extendable arm which carries a laser surveying target. The extendable arm can be continuously positioned over its entire length of travel by either a coarse of fine adjustment without having the fine adjustment outrun the coarse adjustment until a reference laser beam is centered on the target as indicated by a digital readout. The length of the micrometer can then be accurately and automatically read by a computer and compared with a standardized set of alignment measurements. Due to its construction, the micrometer eliminates any errors due to temperature changes when the system is operated within a standard operating temperature range.

Ultra Small Integrated Optical Fiber Sensing System

PubMed Central

Van Hoe, Bram; Lee, Graham; Bosman, Erwin; Missinne, Jeroen; Kalathimekkad, Sandeep; Maskery, Oliver; Webb, David J.; Sugden, Kate; Van Daele, Peter; Van Steenberge, Geert

2012-01-01

This paper introduces a revolutionary way to interrogate optical fiber sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and to integrate the necessary driving optoelectronic components with the sensor elements. Low-cost optoelectronic chips are used to interrogate the optical fibers, creating a portable dynamic sensing system as an alternative for the traditionally bulky and expensive fiber sensor interrogation units. The possibility to embed these laser and detector chips is demonstrated resulting in an ultra thin flexible optoelectronic package of only 40 μm, provided with an integrated planar fiber pigtail. The result is a fully embedded flexible sensing system with a thickness of only 1 mm, based on a single Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL), fiber sensor and photodetector chip. Temperature, strain and electrodynamic shaking tests have been performed on our system, not limited to static read-out measurements but dynamically reconstructing full spectral information datasets.

Plasmonically amplified fluorescence bioassay with microarray format

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogalic, S.; Hageneder, S.; Ctortecka, C.; Bauch, M.; Khan, I.; Preininger, Claudia; Sauer, U.; Dostalek, J.

2015-05-01

Plasmonic amplification of fluorescence signal in bioassays with microarray detection format is reported. A crossed relief diffraction grating was designed to couple an excitation laser beam to surface plasmons at the wavelength overlapping with the absorption and emission bands of fluorophore Dy647 that was used as a label. The surface of periodically corrugated sensor chip was coated with surface plasmon-supporting gold layer and a thin SU8 polymer film carrying epoxy groups. These groups were employed for the covalent immobilization of capture antibodies at arrays of spots. The plasmonic amplification of fluorescence signal on the developed microarray chip was tested by using interleukin 8 sandwich immunoassay. The readout was performed ex situ after drying the chip by using a commercial scanner with high numerical aperture collecting lens. Obtained results reveal the enhancement of fluorescence signal by a factor of 5 when compared to a regular glass chip.

Readout of the UFFO Slewing Mirror Telescope to detect UV/optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J. E.; Lim, H.; Nam, J. W.; Brandt, S.; Budtz-Jørgensen, C.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.; Chen, P.; Choi, H. S.; Grossan, B.; Huang, M. A.; Jeong, S.; Jung, A.; Kim, M. B.; Kim, S.-W.; Lee, J.; Linder, E. V.; Liu, T.-C.; Na, G. W.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Park, I. H.; Ripa, J.; Reglero, V.; Smoot, G. F.; Svertilov, S.; Vedenkin, N.; Yashin, I.

2013-07-01

The Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) was proposed for rapid response to prompt UV/optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The SMT is a key component of the Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO)-pathfinder, which will be launched aboard the Lomonosov spacecraft at the end of 2013. The SMT utilizes a motorized mirror that slews rapidly forward to its target within a second after triggering by an X-ray coded mask camera, which makes unnecessary a reorientation of the entire spacecraft. Subsequent measurement of the UV/optical is accomplished by a 10 cm aperture Ritchey-Chrètien telescope and the focal plane detector of Intensified Charge-Coupled Device (ICCD). The ICCD is sensitive to UV/optical photons of 200-650 nm in wavelength by using a UV-enhanced S20 photocathode and amplifies photoelectrons at a gain of 104-106 in double Micro-Channel Plates. These photons are read out by a Kodak KAI-0340 interline CCD sensor and a CCD Signal Processor with 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter. Various control clocks for CCD readout are implemented using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The SMT readout is in charge of not only data acquisition, storage and transfer, but also control of the slewing mirror, the ICCD high voltage adjustments, power distribution, and system monitoring by interfacing to the UFFO-pathfinder. These functions are realized in the FPGA to minimize power consumption and to enhance processing time. The SMT readout electronics are designed and built to meet the spacecraft's constraints of power consumption, mass, and volume. The entire system is integrated with the SMT optics, as is the UFFO-pathfinder. The system has been tested and satisfies the conditions of launch and those of operation in space: those associated with shock and vibration and those associated with thermal and vacuum, respectively. In this paper, we present the SMT readout electronics: the design, construction, and performance, as well as the results of space environment test.

ICE: A Scalable, Low-Cost FPGA-Based Telescope Signal Processing and Networking System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandura, K.; Bender, A. N.; Cliche, J. F.; de Haan, T.; Dobbs, M. A.; Gilbert, A. J.; Griffin, S.; Hsyu, G.; Ittah, D.; Parra, J. Mena; Montgomery, J.; Pinsonneault-Marotte, T.; Siegel, S.; Smecher, G.; Tang, Q. Y.; Vanderlinde, K.; Whitehorn, N.

2016-03-01

We present an overview of the ‘ICE’ hardware and software framework that implements large arrays of interconnected field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based data acquisition, signal processing and networking nodes economically. The system was conceived for application to radio, millimeter and sub-millimeter telescope readout systems that have requirements beyond typical off-the-shelf processing systems, such as careful control of interference signals produced by the digital electronics, and clocking of all elements in the system from a single precise observatory-derived oscillator. A new generation of telescopes operating at these frequency bands and designed with a vastly increased emphasis on digital signal processing to support their detector multiplexing technology or high-bandwidth correlators — data rates exceeding a terabyte per second — are becoming common. The ICE system is built around a custom FPGA motherboard that makes use of an Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA and ARM-based co-processor. The system is specialized for specific applications through software, firmware and custom mezzanine daughter boards that interface to the FPGA through the industry-standard FPGA mezzanine card (FMC) specifications. For high density applications, the motherboards are packaged in 16-slot crates with ICE backplanes that implement a low-cost passive full-mesh network between the motherboards in a crate, allow high bandwidth interconnection between crates and enable data offload to a computer cluster. A Python-based control software library automatically detects and operates the hardware in the array. Examples of specific telescope applications of the ICE framework are presented, namely the frequency-multiplexed bolometer readout systems used for the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and Simons Array and the digitizer, F-engine, and networking engine for the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) and Hydrogen Intensity and Real-time Analysis eXperiment (HIRAX) radio interferometers.

SFERA: An Integrated Circuit for the Readout of X and gamma -Ray Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schembari, Filippo; Quaglia, Riccardo; Bellotti, Giovanni; Fiorini, Carlo

2016-06-01

In this work we present SFERA, a low-noise fully-programmable 16 channel readout ASIC designed for both Xand y-ray spectroscopy and imaging applications. The chip is designed to process signals coming from solid-state detectors and CMOS preamplifiers. The design has been guided by the use of Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) and CUBE charge sensitive amplifiers (CSAs), although we consider the ASIC sufficiently versatile to be used with other types of detectors. Five different gains are implemented, namely 2800 e-, 4400 e-, 10000 e-, 14000 e- and 20000 e-, considering the input connected to a 25 fF feedback capacitance CMOS preamplifier. Filter peaking times (tP) are also programmable among 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 μs. Each readout channel is the cascade of a 9th order semi-Gaussian shaping-amplifier (SA) and a peak detector (PKS), followed by a dedicated pile-up rejection (PUR) digital logic. Three data multiplexing strategies are implemented: the so-called polling X, intended for high-rate X-ray applications, the polling y, for scintillation light detection and the sparse, for signals derandomization. The spectroscopic characterization has shown an energy resolution of 122.1 eV FWHM on the Mn-Ku line of an 55Fe X-ray source using a 10 mm2 SDD cooled at -35 °C at 4 μs filter peaking time. The measured resolution is 130 eV at the peaking time of 500 ns. At 1 Mcps input count rate and 500 ns peaking time, we have measured 42% of processed events at the output of the ASIC after the PUR selection. Output data can be digitized on-chip by means of an embedded 12-bit successive-approximation ADC. The effective resolution of the data converter is 10.75-bit when operated at 4.5 MS/s. The chosen technology is the AMS 0.35 μm CMOS and the chip area occupancy is 5 × 5 mm2.

Positron lifetime setup based on DRS4 evaluation board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petriska, M.; Sojak, S.; Slugeň, V.

2014-04-01

A digital positron lifetime setup based on DRS4 evaluation board designed at the Paul Scherrer Institute has been constructed and tested in the Positron annihilation laboratory Slovak University of Technology Bratislava. The high bandwidth, low power consumption and short readout time make DRS4 chip attractive for positron annihilation lifetime (PALS) setup, replacing traditional ADCs and TDCs. A software for PALS setup online and offline pulse analysis was developed with Qt,Qwt and ALGLIB libraries.

Evaluating noise performance of the IUCAA sidecar drive electronics controller (ISDEC) based system for TMT on-instrument wavefront sensing (OIWFS) application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burse, Mahesh; Chattopadhyay, Sabyasachi; Ramaprakash, A. N.; Sinha, Sakya; Prabhudesai, Swapnil; Punnadi, Sujit; Chordia, Pravin; Kohok, Abhay

2016-07-01

As a part of a design study for the On-Instrument Low Order Wave-front Sensor (OIWFS) for the TMT Infra-Red Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), we recently evaluated the noise performance of a detector control system consisting of IUCAA SIDECAR DRIVE ELECRONICS CONTROLLER (ISDEC), SIDECAR ASIC and HAWAII-2RG (H2RG) MUX. To understand and improve the performance of this system to serve as a near infrared wavefront sensor, we implemented new read out modes like multiple regions of interest with differential multi-accumulate readout schemes for the HAWAII-2RG (H2RG) detector. In this system, the firmware running in SIDECAR ASIC programs the detector for ROI readout, reads the detector, processes the detector output and writes the digitized data into its internal memory. ISDEC reads the digitized data from ASIC, performs the differential multi-accumulate operations and then sends the processed data to a PC over a USB interface. A special loopback board was designed and used to measure and reduce the noise from SIDECAR ASIC DC biases2. We were able to reduce the mean r.m.s read noise of this system down to 1-2 e. for any arbitrary window frame of 4x4 size at frame rates below about 200 Hz.

First results of the front-end ASIC for the strip detector of the PANDA MVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quagli, T.; Brinkmann, K.-T.; Calvo, D.; Di Pietro, V.; Lai, A.; Riccardi, A.; Ritman, J.; Rivetti, A.; Rolo, M. D.; Stockmanns, T.; Wheadon, R.; Zambanini, A.

2017-03-01

PANDA is a key experiment of the future FAIR facility and the Micro Vertex Detector (MVD) is the innermost part of its tracking system. PASTA (PAnda STrip ASIC) is the readout chip for the strip part of the MVD. The chip is designed to provide high resolution timestamp and charge information with the Time over Threshold (ToT) technique. Its architecture is based on Time to Digital Converters with analog interpolators, with a time bin width of 50 ps. The chip implements Single Event Upset (SEU) protection techniques for its digital parts. A first full-size prototype with 64 channels was produced in a commercial 110 nm CMOS technology and the first characterizations of the prototype were performed.

Blazed Gratings Recorded in Absorbent Photopolymers

PubMed Central

Fernández, Roberto; Gallego, Sergi; Márquez, Andrés; Navarro-Fuster, Víctor; Beléndez, Augusto

2016-01-01

Phase diffractive optical elements, which have many interesting applications, are usually fabricated using a photoresist. In this paper, they were made using a hybrid optic-digital system and a photopolymer as recording medium. We analyzed the characteristics of the input and recording light and then simulated the generation of blazed gratings with different spatial periods in different types of photopolymers using a diffusion model. Finally, we analyzed the output and diffraction efficiencies of the 0 and 1st order so as to compare the simulated values with those measured experimentally. We evaluated the effects of index matching in a standard PVA/AA photopolymer, and in a variation of Biophotopol, a more biocompatible photopolymer. Diffraction efficiencies near 70%, for a wavelength of 633 nm, were achieved for periods longer than 300 µm in this kind of materials. PMID:28773324

High Pressure Sensing and Dynamics Using High Speed Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodriguez, G.; Sandberg, R. L.; Lalone, B. M.

2014-06-01

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are developing into useful sensing tools for measuring high pressure dynamics in extreme environments under shock loading conditions. Approaches using traditional diode array coupled FBG interrogation systems are often limited to readout speeds in the sub-MHz range. For shock wave physics, required detection speeds approaching 100 MHz are desired. We explore the use of two types of FBG sensing systems that are aimed at applying this technology as embedded high pressure probes for transient shock events. Both approaches measure time resolved spectral shifts in the return light from short (few mm long) uniform FBGs at 1550more » nm. In the first approach, we use a fiber coupled spectrometer to demultiplex spectral channels into an array (up to 12) of single element InGaAs photoreceivers. By monitoring the detectors during a shock impact event with high speed recording, we are able to track the pressure induced spectral shifting in FBG down to a time resolution of 20 ns. In the second approach, developed at the Special Technologies Lab, a coherent mode-locked fiber laser is used to illuminate the FBG sensor. After the sensor, wavelength-to-time mapping is accomplished with a chromatic dispersive element, and entire spectra are sampled using a single detector at the modelocked laser repetition rate of 50 MHz. By sampling with a 12 GHz InGaAs detector, direct wavelength mapping in time is recorded, and the pressure induced FBG spectral shift is sampled at 50 MHz. Here, the sensing systems are used to monitor the spectral shifts of FBGs that are immersed into liquid water and shock compressed using explosives. In this configuration, the gratings survive to pressures approaching 50 kbar. We describe both approaches and present the measured spectral shifts from the shock experiments.« less

One-shot synthetic aperture digital holographic microscopy with non-coplanar angular-multiplexing and coherence gating.

PubMed

Lin, Yu-Chih; Tu, Han-Yen; Wu, Xin-Ru; Lai, Xin-Ji; Cheng, Chau-Jern

2018-05-14

This paper proposes one-shot synthetic aperture digital holographic microscopy using a combination of angular-multiplexing and coherence gating. The proposed angular-multiplexing technique uses multiple noncoplanar incident beams into the synthetic aperture to create tight packed passbands so as to extend spatial frequency spectrum. Coherence gating is performed to prevent the self-interference among the multiple beams. Based on the design guideline proposed herein, a phase-only spatial light modulator is employed as an adjustable blazed grating to split multiple noncoplanar beams and perform angular-multiplexing, and then using coherence gating based on low-coherence-light, superresolution imaging is achieved after one-shot acquisition.

Ultra-sensitive detection of tumorigenic cellular impurities in human cell-processed therapeutic products by digital analysis of soft agar colony formation.

PubMed

Kusakawa, Shinji; Yasuda, Satoshi; Kuroda, Takuya; Kawamata, Shin; Sato, Yoji

2015-12-08

Contamination with tumorigenic cellular impurities is one of the most pressing concerns for human cell-processed therapeutic products (hCTPs). The soft agar colony formation (SACF) assay, which is a well-known in vitro assay for the detection of malignant transformed cells, is applicable for the quality assessment of hCTPs. Here we established an image-based screening system for the SACF assay using a high-content cell analyzer termed the digital SACF assay. Dual fluorescence staining of formed colonies and the dissolution of soft agar led to accurate detection of transformed cells with the imaging cytometer. Partitioning a cell sample into multiple wells of culture plates enabled digital readout of the presence of colonies and elevated the sensitivity for their detection. In practice, the digital SACF assay detected impurity levels as low as 0.00001% of the hCTPs, i.e. only one HeLa cell contained in 10,000,000 human mesenchymal stem cells, within 30 days. The digital SACF assay saves time, is more sensitive than in vivo tumorigenicity tests, and would be useful for the quality control of hCTPs in the manufacturing process.

Ultra-sensitive detection of tumorigenic cellular impurities in human cell-processed therapeutic products by digital analysis of soft agar colony formation

PubMed Central

Kusakawa, Shinji; Yasuda, Satoshi; Kuroda, Takuya; Kawamata, Shin; Sato, Yoji

2015-01-01

Contamination with tumorigenic cellular impurities is one of the most pressing concerns for human cell-processed therapeutic products (hCTPs). The soft agar colony formation (SACF) assay, which is a well-known in vitro assay for the detection of malignant transformed cells, is applicable for the quality assessment of hCTPs. Here we established an image-based screening system for the SACF assay using a high-content cell analyzer termed the digital SACF assay. Dual fluorescence staining of formed colonies and the dissolution of soft agar led to accurate detection of transformed cells with the imaging cytometer. Partitioning a cell sample into multiple wells of culture plates enabled digital readout of the presence of colonies and elevated the sensitivity for their detection. In practice, the digital SACF assay detected impurity levels as low as 0.00001% of the hCTPs, i.e. only one HeLa cell contained in 10,000,000 human mesenchymal stem cells, within 30 days. The digital SACF assay saves time, is more sensitive than in vivo tumorigenicity tests, and would be useful for the quality control of hCTPs in the manufacturing process. PMID:26644244

First Tests of a New Fast Waveform Digitizer for PMT Signal Read-out from Liquid Argon Dark Matter Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szelc, A. M.; Canci, N.; Cavanna, F.; Cortopassi, A.; D'Incecco, M.; Mini, G.; Pietropaolo, F.; Romboli, A.; Segreto, E.; Acciarri, R.

A new generation Waveform Digitizer board as been recently made available on the market by CAEN. The new board CAEN V1751 with 8 Channels per board, 10 bit, 1 GS/s Flash ADC Waveform Digitizer (or 4 channel, 10 bit, 2 GS/s Flash ADC Waveform Digitizer -Dual Edge Sampling mode) with threshold and Auto-Trigger capabilities provides an ideal (relatively low-cost) solution for reading signals from liquid Argon detectors for Dark Matter search equipped with an array of PMTs for the detection of scintillation light. The board was extensively used in real experimental conditions to test its usefulness for possible future uses and to compare it with a state of the art digital oscilloscope. As results, PMT Signal sampling at 1 or 2 GS/s is appropriate for the reconstruction of the fast component of the signal scintillation in Argon (characteristic time of about 4 ns) and the extended dynamic range, after a small customization, allows for the detection of signals in the range of energy needed. The bandwidth is found to be adequate and the intrinsic noise is very low.

A Low-Power Wide Dynamic-Range Current Readout Circuit for Ion-Sensitive FET Sensors.

PubMed

Son, Hyunwoo; Cho, Hwasuk; Koo, Jahyun; Ji, Youngwoo; Kim, Byungsub; Park, Hong-June; Sim, Jae-Yoon

2017-06-01

This paper presents an amplifier-less and digital-intensive current-to-digital converter for ion-sensitive FET sensors. Capacitance on the input node is utilized as a residue accumulator, and a clocked comparator is followed for quantization. Without any continuous-time feedback circuit, the converter performs a first-order noise shaping of the quantization error. In order to minimize static power consumption, the proposed circuit employs a single-ended current-steering digital-to-analog converter which flows only the same current as the input. By adopting a switching noise averaging algorithm, our dynamic element matching not only mitigates mismatch of current sources in the current-steering DAC, but also makes the effect of dynamic switching noise become an input-independent constant. The implemented circuit in 0.35 μm CMOS converts the current input with a range of 2.8 μ A to 15 b digital output in about 4 ms, showing a DNL of +0.24/-0.25 LSB and an INL of + 1.98/-1.98 LSB while consuming 16.8 μW.

Tests of PMT signal read-out of liquid argon scintillation with a new fast waveform digitizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acciarri, R.; Canci, N.; Cavanna, F.; Cortopassi, A.; D'Incecco, M.; Mini, G.; Pietropaolo, F.; Romboli, A.; Segreto, E.; Szelc, A. M.

2012-07-01

The CAEN V1751 is a new generation of Waveform Digitizer recently introduced by CAEN SpA. It features 8 Channels per board, 10 bit, 1 GS/s using Flash ADCs Waveform Digitizers (or 4 channels at 2 GS/s in Dual Edge Sampling mode) with threshold and Auto-Trigger capabilities. This provides a good basis for data acquisition in Dark Matter searches using PMTs to detect scintillation light in liquid argon, as it matches the requirements for measuring the fast scintillation component. The board was tested by operating it in real experimental conditions and by comparing it with a state of the art digital oscilloscope. We find that the sampling at 1 or 2 GS/s is appropriate for the reconstruction of the fast component of the scintillation light in argon (characteristic time of about 6-7 ns) and the extended dynamic range, after a small customization, allows for the detection of signals in the range of energy needed. The bandwidth is found to be adequate and the intrinsic noise is very low.

A Basic Research for the Development and Evaluation of Novel MEMS Digital Accelerometers

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

that timing differences as measured by the circuit are linearly dependent on the measured capacitance changes. As such, the circuit’s readout is...error in the electronic measurement to refine the technique. An additional capability of the circuit is the ability to observe the impact of cold...low resistivity on (ɘ.01 Ω-cm) silicon on insulator wafers (SOI). The beams are fabricated in a 0.3 cm by 0.3 cm die which is then packaged and wire

Geiger-Mode Avalanche Photodiode Arrays Integrated to All-Digital CMOS Circuits

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-20

Figure 7 4×4 GMAPD array wire bonded to CMOS timing circuits Figure 8 Low‐fill‐factor APD design used in lidar sensors The APD doping...epitaxial growth and the pixels are isolated by mesa etch. 128×32 lidar image sensors were built by bump bonding the APD arrays to a CMOS timing...passive image sensor with this large a format based on hybridization of a GMAPD array to a CMOS readout. Fig. 14 shows one of the first images taken

Digital Interface Modules for Active-Readout X-Ray Spectrometer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

strategy. Emitting a significant fraction of its total energy as complex series of high temperature characteristic x-ray lines, the PRS source is used for...0.001’ for the Reticon RL1024S detector). This is done by calculating the increment in photon energy dE that maps into a sensor width dg. The required...peak signal to r.m.s. noise). For most work the effects of temperature on the SSPA and other electronics will be more significant to the repeatability

Research study on stellar X-ray imaging experiment, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, H. H.; Vanspeybroeck, L. P.

1972-01-01

The use of microchannel plates as focal plane readout devices and the evaluation of mirrors for X-ray telescopes applied to stellar X-ray imaging is discussed. The microchannel plate outputs were either imaged on a phosphor screen which was viewed by a low light level vidicon or on a wire array which was read out by digitally processing the output of a charge division network attached to the wires. A service life test which was conducted on two image intensifiers is described.

Laser goniometer

DOEpatents

Fairer, George M.; Boernge, James M.; Harris, David W.; Campbell, DeWayne A.; Tuttle, Gene E.; McKeown, Mark H.; Beason, Steven C.

1993-01-01

The laser goniometer is an apparatus which permits an operator to sight along a geologic feature and orient a collimated lamer beam to match the attitude of the feature directly. The horizontal orientation (strike) and the angle from horizontal (dip), are detected by rotary incremental encoders attached to the laser goniometer which provide a digital readout of the azimuth and tilt of the collimated laser beam. A microprocessor then translates the square wave signal encoder outputs into an ASCII signal for use by data recording equipment.

Fast Interrogation of Fiber Bragg Gratings with Electro-Optical Dual Optical Frequency Combs

PubMed Central

Posada-Roman, Julio E.; Garcia-Souto, Jose A.; Poiana, Dragos A.; Acedo, Pablo

2016-01-01

Optical frequency combs (OFC) generated by electro-optic modulation of continuous-wave lasers provide broadband coherent sources with high power per line and independent control of line spacing and the number of lines. In addition to their application in spectroscopy, they offer flexible and optimized sources for the interrogation of other sensors based on wavelength change or wavelength filtering, such as fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. In this paper, a dual-OFC FBG interrogation system based on a single laser and two optical-phase modulators is presented. This architecture allows for the configuration of multimode optical source parameters such as the number of modes and their position within the reflected spectrum of the FBG. A direct read-out is obtained by mapping the optical spectrum onto the radio-frequency spectrum output of the dual-comb. This interrogation scheme is proposed for measuring fast phenomena such as vibrations and ultrasounds. Results are presented for dual-comb operation under optimized control. The optical modes are mapped onto detectable tones that are multiples of 0.5 MHz around a center radiofrequency tone (40 MHz). Measurements of ultrasounds (40 kHz and 120 kHz) are demonstrated with this sensing system. Ultrasounds induce dynamic strain onto the fiber, which generates changes in the reflected Bragg wavelength and, hence, modulates the amplitude of the OFC modes within the reflected spectrum. The amplitude modulation of two counterphase tones is detected to obtain a differential measurement proportional to the ultrasound signal. PMID:27898043

Fast Interrogation of Fiber Bragg Gratings with Electro-Optical Dual Optical Frequency Combs.

PubMed

Posada-Roman, Julio E; Garcia-Souto, Jose A; Poiana, Dragos A; Acedo, Pablo

2016-11-26

Optical frequency combs (OFC) generated by electro-optic modulation of continuous-wave lasers provide broadband coherent sources with high power per line and independent control of line spacing and the number of lines. In addition to their application in spectroscopy, they offer flexible and optimized sources for the interrogation of other sensors based on wavelength change or wavelength filtering, such as fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. In this paper, a dual-OFC FBG interrogation system based on a single laser and two optical-phase modulators is presented. This architecture allows for the configuration of multimode optical source parameters such as the number of modes and their position within the reflected spectrum of the FBG. A direct read-out is obtained by mapping the optical spectrum onto the radio-frequency spectrum output of the dual-comb. This interrogation scheme is proposed for measuring fast phenomena such as vibrations and ultrasounds. Results are presented for dual-comb operation under optimized control. The optical modes are mapped onto detectable tones that are multiples of 0.5 MHz around a center radiofrequency tone (40 MHz). Measurements of ultrasounds (40 kHz and 120 kHz) are demonstrated with this sensing system. Ultrasounds induce dynamic strain onto the fiber, which generates changes in the reflected Bragg wavelength and, hence, modulates the amplitude of the OFC modes within the reflected spectrum. The amplitude modulation of two counterphase tones is detected to obtain a differential measurement proportional to the ultrasound signal.

Optical Signal Processing: Poisson Image Restoration and Shearing Interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Yie-Ming

1973-01-01

Optical signal processing can be performed in either digital or analog systems. Digital computers and coherent optical systems are discussed as they are used in optical signal processing. Topics include: image restoration; phase-object visualization; image contrast reversal; optical computation; image multiplexing; and fabrication of spatial filters. Digital optical data processing deals with restoration of images degraded by signal-dependent noise. When the input data of an image restoration system are the numbers of photoelectrons received from various areas of a photosensitive surface, the data are Poisson distributed with mean values proportional to the illuminance of the incoherently radiating object and background light. Optical signal processing using coherent optical systems is also discussed. Following a brief review of the pertinent details of Ronchi's diffraction grating interferometer, moire effect, carrier-frequency photography, and achromatic holography, two new shearing interferometers based on them are presented. Both interferometers can produce variable shear.

Preliminary Design of a Digital Holography PFC Erosion Diagnostic for MPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, C. E. (Tommy), Jr.; Biewer, T. M.; Shaw, G. C.; Baylor, L. R.; Combs, S. K.; Meitner, S. J.; Rapp, J.; Hillis, D. L.; Granstedt, E. M.; Majeski, R.; Kaita, R.

2015-11-01

Preliminary design of a Digital Holography (DH) in-situ Plasma Facing Component (PFC) erosion diagnostic to be used on the proto-MPEX/MPEX experiment is presented. Design trade-offs are discussed including the selection of CO2 laser frequencies and whether/where to use reflective or refractive optical components. The costs and benefits of using a high-speed (expensive) infrared (IR) camera or a lower speed (inexpensive) IR camera, and whether to use simultaneous or sequential acquisition of DH exposures for the dual wavelength system are also described. Expected layout, resolution, and noise figures will be discussed, along with resolution and noise data from previous work at ORNL and PPPL. Partial Support from USDOE Contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and USDOE Grant DE-FG02-07ER84724 for previous Digital Holography work done at ORNL and PPPL is gratefully acknowledged.

Functional consequences of experience-dependent plasticity on tactile perception following perceptual learning.

PubMed

Trzcinski, Natalie K; Gomez-Ramirez, Manuel; Hsiao, Steven S

2016-09-01

Continuous training enhances perceptual discrimination and promotes neural changes in areas encoding the experienced stimuli. This type of experience-dependent plasticity has been demonstrated in several sensory and motor systems. Particularly, non-human primates trained to detect consecutive tactile bar indentations across multiple digits showed expanded excitatory receptive fields (RFs) in somatosensory cortex. However, the perceptual implications of these anatomical changes remain undetermined. Here, we trained human participants for 9 days on a tactile task that promoted expansion of multi-digit RFs. Participants were required to detect consecutive indentations of bar stimuli spanning multiple digits. Throughout the training regime we tracked participants' discrimination thresholds on spatial (grating orientation) and temporal tasks on the trained and untrained hands in separate sessions. We hypothesized that training on the multi-digit task would decrease perceptual thresholds on tasks that require stimulus processing across multiple digits, while also increasing thresholds on tasks requiring discrimination on single digits. We observed an increase in orientation thresholds on a single digit. Importantly, this effect was selective for the stimulus orientation and hand used during multi-digit training. We also found that temporal acuity between digits improved across trained digits, suggesting that discriminating the temporal order of multi-digit stimuli can transfer to temporal discrimination of other tactile stimuli. These results suggest that experience-dependent plasticity following perceptual learning improves and interferes with tactile abilities in manners predictive of the task and stimulus features used during training. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Functional consequences of experience-dependent plasticity on tactile perception following perceptual learning

PubMed Central

Trzcinski, Natalie K; Gomez-Ramirez, Manuel; Hsiao, Steven S.

2016-01-01

Continuous training enhances perceptual discrimination and promotes neural changes in areas encoding the experienced stimuli. This type of experience-dependent plasticity has been demonstrated in several sensory and motor systems. Particularly, non-human primates trained to detect consecutive tactile bar indentations across multiple digits showed expanded excitatory receptive fields (RFs) in somatosensory cortex. However, the perceptual implications of these anatomical changes remain undetermined. Here, we trained human participants for nine days on a tactile task that promoted expansion of multi-digit RFs. Participants were required to detect consecutive indentations of bar stimuli spanning multiple digits. Throughout the training regime we tracked participants’ discrimination thresholds on spatial (grating orientation) and temporal tasks on the trained and untrained hands in separate sessions. We hypothesized that training on the multi-digit task would decrease perceptual thresholds on tasks that require stimulus processing across multiple digits, while also increasing thresholds on tasks requiring discrimination on single digits. We observed an increase in orientation thresholds on a single-digit. Importantly, this effect was selective for the stimulus orientation and hand used during multi-digit training. We also found that temporal acuity between digits improved across trained digits, suggesting that discriminating the temporal order of multi-digit stimuli can transfer to temporal discrimination of other tactile stimuli. These results suggest that experience-dependent plasticity following perceptual learning improves and interferes with tactile abilities in manners predictive of the task and stimulus features used during training. PMID:27422224

Performance of CATIROC: ASIC for smart readout of large photomultiplier arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blin, S.; Callier, S.; Conforti Di Lorenzo, S.; Dulucq, F.; De La Taille, C.; Martin-Chassard, G.; Seguin-Moreau, N.

2017-03-01

CATIROC (Charge And Time Integrated Read Out Chip) is a complete read-out chip manufactured in AustriaMicroSystem (AMS) SiGe 0.35 μm technology, designed to read arrays of 16 photomultipliers (PMTs). It is an upgraded version of PARISROC2 [1] designed in 2010 in the context of the PMm2 (square meter PhotoMultiplier) project [2]. CATIROC is a SoC (System on Chip) that processes analog signals up to the digitization and sparsification to reduce the cost and cable number. The ASIC is composed of 16 independent channels that work in triggerless mode, auto-triggering on the single photo-electron. It provides a charge measurement up to 400 photoelectrons (70 pC) on two scales of 10 bits and a timing information with an accuracy of 200 ps rms. The ASIC was sent for fabrication in February 2015 and then received in September 2015. It is a good candidate for two Chinese projects (LHAASO and JUNO). The architecture and the measurements will be detailed in the paper.

An integrated control and readout circuit for implantable multi-target electrochemical biosensing.

PubMed

Ghoreishizadeh, Sara S; Baj-Rossi, Camilla; Cavallini, Andrea; Carrara, Sandro; De Micheli, Giovanni

2014-12-01

We describe an integrated biosensor capable of sensing multiple molecular targets using both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). In particular, we present our custom IC to realize voltage control and current readout of the biosensors. A mixed-signal circuit block generates sub-Hertz triangular waveform for the biosensors by means of a direct-digital-synthesizer to control CV. A current to pulse-width converter is realized to output the data for CA measurement. The IC is fabricated in 0.18 μm technology. It consumes 220 μW from 1.8 V supply voltage, making it suitable for remotely-powered applications. Electrical measurements show excellent linearity in sub- μA current range. Electrochemical measurements including CA measurements of glucose and lactate and CV measurements of the anti-cancer drug Etoposide have been acquired with the fabricated IC and compared with a commercial equipment. The results obtained with the fabricated IC are in good agreement with those of the commercial equipment for both CV and CA measurements.

An Integrated Thermal Compensation System for MEMS Inertial Sensors

PubMed Central

Chiu, Sheng-Ren; Teng, Li-Tao; Chao, Jen-Wei; Sue, Chung-Yang; Lin, Chih-Hsiou; Chen, Hong-Ren; Su, Yan-Kuin

2014-01-01

An active thermal compensation system for a low temperature-bias-drift (TBD) MEMS-based gyroscope is proposed in this study. First, a micro-gyroscope is fabricated by a high-aspect-ratio silicon-on-glass (SOG) process and vacuum packaged by glass frit bonding. Moreover, a drive/readout ASIC, implemented by the 0.25 μm 1P5M standard CMOS process, is designed and integrated with the gyroscope by directly wire bonding. Then, since the temperature effect is one of the critical issues in the high performance gyroscope applications, the temperature-dependent characteristics of the micro-gyroscope are discussed. Furthermore, to compensate the TBD of the micro-gyroscope, a thermal compensation system is proposed and integrated in the aforementioned ASIC to actively tune the parameters in the digital trimming mechanism, which is designed in the readout ASIC. Finally, some experimental results demonstrate that the TBD of the micro-gyroscope can be compensated effectively by the proposed compensation system. PMID:24599191

Pulse-height loss in the signal readout circuit of compound semiconductor detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakhostin, M.; Hitomi, K.

2018-06-01

Compound semiconductor detectors such as CdTe, CdZnTe, HgI2 and TlBr are known to exhibit large variations in their charge collection times. This paper considers the effect of such variations on the measurement of induced charge pulses by using resistive feedback charge-sensitive preamplifiers. It is shown that, due to the finite decay-time constant of the preamplifiers, the capacitive decay during the signal readout leads to a variable deficit in the measurement of ballistic signals and a digital pulse processing method is employed to correct for it. The method is experimentally examined by using sampled pulses from a TlBr detector coupled to a charge-sensitive preamplifier with 150 μs of decay-time constant and 20 % improvement in the energy resolution of the detector at 662 keV is achieved. The implications of the capacitive decay on the correction of charge-trapping effect by using depth-sensing technique are also considered.

ePix: a class of architectures for second generation LCLS cameras

DOE PAGES

Dragone, A.; Caragiulo, P.; Markovic, B.; ...

2014-03-31

ePix is a novel class of ASIC architectures, based on a common platform, optimized to build modular scalable detectors for LCLS. The platform architecture is composed of a random access analog matrix of pixel with global shutter, fast parallel column readout, and dedicated sigma-delta analog-to-digital converters per column. It also implements a dedicated control interface and all the required support electronics to perform configuration, calibration and readout of the matrix. Based on this platform a class of front-end ASICs and several camera modules, meeting different requirements, can be developed by designing specific pixel architectures. This approach reduces development time andmore » expands the possibility of integration of detector modules with different size, shape or functionality in the same camera. The ePix platform is currently under development together with the first two integrating pixel architectures: ePix100 dedicated to ultra low noise applications and ePix10k for high dynamic range applications.« less

The OPERA muon spectrometer tracking electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambrosio, M.; Barichello, G.; Brugnera, R.; Carrara, E.; Consiglio, L.; Corradi, A.; Dal Corso, F.; Dusini, S.; Felici, G.; Garfagnini, A.; Manea, C.; Masone, V.; Paoloni, A.; Paoluzzi, G.; Papalino, G.; Parascandolo, P.; Sorrentino, G.; Spinetti, M.; Stanco, L.; Terranova, F.; Votano, L.

2004-11-01

The document describes the front-end electronics that instrument the spectrometer of the OPERA experiment. The spectrometer is made of two separate modules. Each module consists of 22 RPC planes equipped with horizontal and vertical strips readout for a total amount of about 25,000 digital channels. The front end electronics is self-triggered and has single plane readout capability. It is made of three different stages: the Front End Boards (FEBs) system, the Controller Boards (CBs) system and the Timing Boards (TBs) system. The FEB system provides discrimination of the strip incoming signals; a FAST OR output of the input signals is also available for trigger plane signal generation. FEBs discriminated signals are acquired by the CBs system that manages also the communication to the experiment DAQ and Slow Control interface. A Trigger Board allows to operate in both self-trigger (the FEB FAST OR signal starts the plane acquisition) or external-trigger (different conditions can be set on the OR signals generated from different planes) modes.

Design of a 40-nm CMOS integrated on-chip oscilloscope for 5-50 GHz spin wave characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egel, Eugen; Csaba, György; Dietz, Andreas; Breitkreutz-von Gamm, Stephan; Russer, Johannes; Russer, Peter; Kreupl, Franz; Becherer, Markus

2018-05-01

Spin wave (SW) devices are receiving growing attention in research as a strong candidate for low power applications in the beyond-CMOS era. All SW applications would require an efficient, low power, on-chip read-out circuitry. Thus, we provide a concept for an on-chip oscilloscope (OCO) allowing parallel detection of the SWs at different frequencies. The readout system is designed in 40-nm CMOS technology and is capable of SW device characterization. First, the SWs are picked up by near field loop antennas, placed below yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film, and amplified by a low noise amplifier (LNA). Second, a mixer down-converts the radio frequency (RF) signal of 5 - 50 GHz to lower intermediate frequencies (IF) around 10 - 50 MHz. Finally, the IF signal can be digitized and analyzed regarding the frequency, amplitude and phase variation of the SWs. The power consumption and chip area of the whole OCO are estimated to 166.4 mW and 1.31 mm2, respectively.

Vertically Integrated MEMS SOI Composite Porous Silicon-Crystalline Silicon Cantilever-Array Sensors: Concept for Continuous Sensing of Explosives and Warfare Agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolyarova, Sara; Shemesh, Ariel; Aharon, Oren; Cohen, Omer; Gal, Lior; Eichen, Yoav; Nemirovsky, Yael

This study focuses on arrays of cantilevers made of crystalline silicon (c-Si), using SOI wafers as the starting material and using bulk micromachining. The arrays are subsequently transformed into composite porous silicon-crystalline silicon cantilevers, using a unique vapor phase process tailored for providing a thin surface layer of porous silicon on one side only. This results in asymmetric cantilever arrays, with one side providing nano-structured porous large surface, which can be further coated with polymers, thus providing additional sensing capabilities and enhanced sensing. The c-Si cantilevers are vertically integrated with a bottom silicon die with electrodes allowing electrostatic actuation. Flip Chip bonding is used for the vertical integration. The readout is provided by a sensitive Capacitance to Digital Converter. The fabrication, processing and characterization results are reported. The reported study is aimed towards achieving miniature cantilever chips with integrated readout for sensing explosives and chemical warfare agents in the field.

Enhancing Tabletop X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging with Nano-Fabrication

PubMed Central

Miao, Houxun; Gomella, Andrew A.; Harmon, Katherine J.; Bennett, Eric E.; Chedid, Nicholas; Znati, Sami; Panna, Alireza; Foster, Barbara A.; Bhandarkar, Priya; Wen, Han

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a promising approach for improving soft-tissue contrast and lowering radiation dose in biomedical applications. While current tabletop imaging systems adapt to common x-ray tubes and large-area detectors by employing absorptive elements such as absorption gratings or monolithic crystals to filter the beam, we developed nanometric phase gratings which enable tabletop x-ray far-field interferometry with only phase-shifting elements, leading to a substantial enhancement in the performance of phase contrast imaging. In a general sense the method transfers the demands on the spatial coherence of the x-ray source and the detector resolution to the feature size of x-ray phase masks. We demonstrate its capabilities in hard x-ray imaging experiments at a fraction of clinical dose levels and present comparisons with the existing Talbot-Lau interferometer and with conventional digital radiography. PMID:26315891

Design of distributed FBG vibration measuring system based on Fabry-Perot tunable filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Cheng; Miao, Changyun; Li, Hongqiang; Gao, Hua; Gan, Jingmeng

2011-11-01

A distributed optical fiber grating wavelength interrogator based on fiber Fabry Perot tunable filter(FFP-TF) was proposed, which could measure dynamic strain or vibration of multi-sensing fiber gratings in one optical fiber by time division way. The wavelength demodulated mathematical model was built, the formulas of system output voltage and sensitivity were deduced and the method of finding static operating point was determined. The wavelength drifting characteristic of FFP-TF was discussed when the center wavelength of FFP-TF was set on the static operating point. A wavelength locking method was proposed by introducing a high-frequency driving voltage signal. A demodulated system was established based on Labview and its demodulated wavelength dynamic range is 290pm in theory. In experiment, by digital filtering applied to the system output data, 100Hz and 250Hz vibration signals were measured. The experiment results proved the feasibility of the demodulated method.

Photonic integrated circuits based on sampled-grating distributed-Bragg-reflector lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, Jonathon S.; Skogen, Erik J.; Masanovic, Milan L.; Raring, James; Sysak, Matt N.; Johansson, Leif; DenBaars, Steven P.; Coldren, Larry A.

2003-07-01

The Sampled-Grating Distributed-Bragg-Reflector laser(SGDBR) provides wide tunability (>40nm), and high output power (>10mW). Driven by the demand for network reconfigurability and ease of implementation, the SGDBR has moved from the research lab to be commercially viable in the marketplace. The SGDBR is most often implemented using an offset-quantum well epitaxial structure in which the quantum wells are etched off in the passive sections. Alternatively, quantum well intermixing has been used recently to achieve the same goal - resulting in improved optical gain and the potential for multiple bandgaps along the device structure. These epitaxial "platforms" provide the basis for more exotic opto-electronic device functionality exhibiting low chirp for digital applications and enhanced linearity for analog applications. This talk will cover state-of-the-art opto-electronic devices based on the SGDBR platform including: integrated Mach-Zehnder modulators, and integrated electro-absorption modulators.

Volume Holographic Storage of Digital Data Implemented in Photorefractive Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heanue, John Frederick

A holographic data storage system is fundamentally different from conventional storage devices. Information is recorded in a volume, rather than on a two-dimensional surface. Data is transferred in parallel, on a page-by -page basis, rather than serially. These properties, combined with a limited need for mechanical motion, lead to the potential for a storage system with high capacity, fast transfer rate, and short access time. The majority of previous volume holographic storage experiments have involved direct storage and retrieval of pictorial information. Success in the development of a practical holographic storage device requires an understanding of the performance capabilities of a digital system. This thesis presents a number of contributions toward this goal. A description of light diffraction from volume gratings is given. The results are used as the basis for a theoretical and numerical analysis of interpage crosstalk in both angular and wavelength multiplexed holographic storage. An analysis of photorefractive grating formation in photovoltaic media such as lithium niobate is presented along with steady-state expressions for the space-charge field in thermal fixing. Thermal fixing by room temperature recording followed by ion compensation at elevated temperatures is compared to simultaneous recording and compensation at high temperature. In particular, the tradeoff between diffraction efficiency and incomplete Bragg matching is evaluated. An experimental investigation of orthogonal phase code multiplexing is described. Two unique capabilities, the ability to perform arithmetic operations on stored data pages optically, rather than electronically, and encrypted data storage, are demonstrated. A comparison of digital signal representations, or channel codes, is carried out. The codes are compared in terms of bit-error rate performance at constant capacity. A well-known one-dimensional digital detection technique, maximum likelihood sequence estimation, is extended for use in a two-dimensional page format memory. The effectiveness of the technique in a system corrupted by intersymbol interference is investigated both experimentally and through numerical simulations. The experimental implementation of a fully-automated multiple page digital holographic storage system is described. Finally, projections of the performance limits of holographic data storage are made taking into account typical noise sources.

A 0.18 micrometer CMOS Thermopile Readout ASIC Immune to 50 MRAD Total Ionizing Dose (SI) and Single Event Latchup to 174MeV-cm(exp 2)/mg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quilligan, Gerard T.; Aslam, Shahid; Lakew, Brook; DuMonthier, Jeffery J.; Katz, Richard B.; Kleyner, Igor

2014-01-01

Radiation hardened by design (RHBD) techniques allow commercial CMOS circuits to operate in high total ionizing dose and particle fluence environments. Our radiation hard multi-channel digitizer (MCD) ASIC (Figure 1) is a versatile analog system on a chip (SoC) fabricated in 180nm CMOS. It provides 18 chopper stabilized amplifier channels, a 16- bit sigma-delta analog-digital converter (SDADC) and an on-chip controller. The MCD was evaluated at Goddard Space Flight Center and Texas A&M University's radiation effects facilities and found to be immune to single event latchup (SEL) and total ionizing dose (TID) at 174 MeV-cm(exp 2)/mg and 50 Mrad (Si) respectively.

Test of GET Electronics for the CHIMERA and FARCOS multi-detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Luca, S.; Acosta, L.; Auditore, L.; Boiano, C.; Cardella, G.; Castoldi, A.; D'Andrea, M.; De Filippo, E.; Dell'Aquila, D.; Fichera, F.; Gnoffo, B.; Guazzoni, C.; Lanzalone, G.; Lombardo, I.; Martorana, N. S.; Minniti, T.; Norella, S.; Pagano, A.; Pagano, E. V.; Papa, M.; Pirrone, S.; Politi, G.; Quattrocchi, L.; Rizzo, F.; Russotto, P.; Saccà, G.; Trifirò, A.; Trimarchi, M.; Verde, G.; Vigilante, M.

2017-11-01

In this paper we present the results of the tests on the new digital electronics GET (General Electronics for Tpc), which will be used for the readout of the CsI(Tl) detectors of CHIMERA (Charged Heavy Ion Mass and Energy Resolving Array) and for the new correlator FARCOS (Femtoscope ARray for COrrelations and Spectroscopy). The new electronics allows us to digitize the full waveform of the signals produced by the detector. Among its features it is worth noticing the compactness and low power consumption (5W for 256 channels). Tests have been performed with pulsers, radioactive sources and ion beams. With such electronics very good results in energy resolution and isotope separation of the detected fragments were obtained, by using both hardware and software filters.

Information storage and retrieval in a single levitating colloidal particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, Christopher J.; Celebrano, Michele; Krishnan, Madhavi

2015-10-01

The binary switch is a basic component of digital information. From phase-change alloys to nanomechanical beams, molecules and atoms, new strategies for controlled bistability hold great interest for emerging technologies. We present a generic methodology for precise and parallel spatiotemporal control of nanometre-scale matter in a fluid, and demonstrate the ability to attain digital functionalities such as switching, gating and data storage in a single colloid, with further implications for signal amplification and logic operations. This fluid-phase bit can be arrayed at high densities, manipulated by either electrical or optical fields, supports low-energy, high-speed operation and marks a first step toward ‘colloidal information’. The principle generalizes to any system where spatial perturbation of a particle elicits a differential response amenable to readout.

Information storage and retrieval in a single levitating colloidal particle.

PubMed

Myers, Christopher J; Celebrano, Michele; Krishnan, Madhavi

2015-10-01

The binary switch is a basic component of digital information. From phase-change alloys to nanomechanical beams, molecules and atoms, new strategies for controlled bistability hold great interest for emerging technologies. We present a generic methodology for precise and parallel spatiotemporal control of nanometre-scale matter in a fluid, and demonstrate the ability to attain digital functionalities such as switching, gating and data storage in a single colloid, with further implications for signal amplification and logic operations. This fluid-phase bit can be arrayed at high densities, manipulated by either electrical or optical fields, supports low-energy, high-speed operation and marks a first step toward 'colloidal information'. The principle generalizes to any system where spatial perturbation of a particle elicits a differential response amenable to readout.

Multichannel low power time-to-digital converter card with 21 ps precision and full scale range up to 10 μs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamborini, D.; Portaluppi, D.; Villa, F.; Tisa, S.; Tosi, A.

2014-11-01

We present a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) card with a compact form factor, suitable for multichannel timing instruments or for integration into more complex systems. The TDC Card provides 10 ps timing resolution over the whole measurement range, which is selectable from 160 ns up to 10 μs, reaching 21 ps rms precision, 1.25% LSB rms differential nonlinearity, up to 3 Mconversion/s with 400 mW power consumption. The I/O edge card connector provides timing data readout through either a parallel bus or a 100 MHz serial interface and further measurement information like input signal rate and valid conversion rate (typically useful for time-correlated single-photon counting application) through an independent serial link.

Multichannel low power time-to-digital converter card with 21 ps precision and full scale range up to 10 μs.

PubMed

Tamborini, D; Portaluppi, D; Villa, F; Tisa, S; Tosi, A

2014-11-01

We present a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) card with a compact form factor, suitable for multichannel timing instruments or for integration into more complex systems. The TDC Card provides 10 ps timing resolution over the whole measurement range, which is selectable from 160 ns up to 10 μs, reaching 21 ps rms precision, 1.25% LSB rms differential nonlinearity, up to 3 Mconversion/s with 400 mW power consumption. The I/O edge card connector provides timing data readout through either a parallel bus or a 100 MHz serial interface and further measurement information like input signal rate and valid conversion rate (typically useful for time-correlated single-photon counting application) through an independent serial link.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dragone, A; /SLAC; Pratte, J.F.

An ASIC for the readout of signals from X-ray Active Matrix Pixel Sensor (XAMPS) detectors to be used at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is presented. The X-ray Pump Probe (XPP) instrument, for which the ASIC has been designed, requires a large input dynamic range on the order of 104 photons at 8 keV with a resolution of half a photon FWHM. Due to the size of the pixel and the length of the readout line, large input capacitance is expected, leading to stringent requirement on the noise optimization. Furthermore, the large number of pixels needed for a goodmore » position resolution and the fixed LCLS beam period impose limitations on the time available for the single pixel readout. Considering the periodic nature of the LCLS beam, the ASIC developed for this application is a time-variant system providing low-noise charge integration, filtering and correlated double sampling. In order to cope with the large input dynamic range a charge pump scheme implementing a zero-balance measurement method has been introduced. It provides an on chip 3-bit coarse digital conversion of the integrated charge. The residual charge is sampled using correlated double sampling into analog memory and measured with the required resolution. The first 64 channel prototype of the ASIC has been fabricated in TSMC CMOS 0.25 {micro}m technology. In this paper, the ASIC architecture and performances are presented.« less

Performance of GEM Detectors in the DarkLight Experiment at LERF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed Prem Nazeer, Sahara Jesmin; DarkLight Collaboration

2017-01-01

The DarkLight experiment has been proposed to search for a heavy photon A' in the mass range of 10-100 MeV/c2 produced in electron-proton collisions. Phase-I of DarkLight has started to take place in 2016 at the Low Energy Recirculator Facility (LERF) at Jefferson Lab. LERF delivered a 100 MeV electron beam onto a windowless hydrogen gas target. The phase-I detector tracks leptons inside the DarkLight solenoid with a set of Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors, combined with segmented scintillators for triggering. The GEM telescope consists of four 10 × 10 cm2 triple layer GEM chambers with 2D readout strips, mounted in a slightly angled fixed frame about 12 cm tall. The GEM data are read out with analog pipeline front-end cards (APV-25) each of which can process 128 readout channels. Each GEM chamber has 250 channels for each coordinate axis, read out with two APVs on each side, resulting in 2000 readout channels for the GEM stack, processed by 16 APVs. One Multi Purpose Digitizer (MPD) module is used to read out all of the 16 APV-25 cards. The current run status of DarkLight experiment and the performance of GEMs in the experiment will be discussed. This work has been supported by NSF PHY-1436680 and PHY-1505934.

Low-cost, high-performance and efficiency computational photometer design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siewert, Sam B.; Shihadeh, Jeries; Myers, Randall; Khandhar, Jay; Ivanov, Vitaly

2014-05-01

Researchers at the University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Colorado Boulder have built a low cost high performance and efficiency drop-in-place Computational Photometer (CP) to test in field applications ranging from port security and safety monitoring to environmental compliance monitoring and surveying. The CP integrates off-the-shelf visible spectrum cameras with near to long wavelength infrared detectors and high resolution digital snapshots in a single device. The proof of concept combines three or more detectors into a single multichannel imaging system that can time correlate read-out, capture, and image process all of the channels concurrently with high performance and energy efficiency. The dual-channel continuous read-out is combined with a third high definition digital snapshot capability and has been designed using an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) to capture, decimate, down-convert, re-encode, and transform images from two standard definition CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras at 30Hz. The continuous stereo vision can be time correlated to megapixel high definition snapshots. This proof of concept has been fabricated as a fourlayer PCB (Printed Circuit Board) suitable for use in education and research for low cost high efficiency field monitoring applications that need multispectral and three dimensional imaging capabilities. Initial testing is in progress and includes field testing in ports, potential test flights in un-manned aerial systems, and future planned missions to image harsh environments in the arctic including volcanic plumes, ice formation, and arctic marine life.

Fast Imaging Detector Readout Circuits with In-Pixel ADCs for Fourier Transform Imaging Spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rider, D.; Blavier, J-F.; Cunningham, T.; Hancock, B.; Key, R.; Pannell, Z.; Sander, S.; Seshadri, S.; Sun, C.; Wrigley, C.

2011-01-01

Focal plane arrays (FPAs) with high frame rates and many pixels benefit several upcoming Earth science missions including GEO-CAPE, GACM, and ACE by enabling broader spatial coverage and higher spectral resolution. FPAs for the PanFTS, a high spatial resolution Fourier transform spectrometer and a candidate instrument for the GEO-CAPE mission are the focus of the developments reported here, but this FPA technology has the potential to enable a variety of future measurements and instruments. The ESTO ACT Program funded the developed of a fast readout integrated circuit (ROIC) based on an innovative in-pixel analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The 128 X 128 pixel ROIC features 60 ?m pixels, a 14-bit ADC in each pixel and operates at a continuous frame rate of 14 kHz consuming only 1.1 W of power. The ROIC outputs digitized data completely eliminating the bulky, power consuming signal chains needed by conventional FPAs. The 128 X 128 pixel ROIC has been fabricated in CMOS and tested at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The current version is designed to be hybridized with PIN photodiode arrays via indium bump bonding for light detection in the visible and ultraviolet spectral regions. However, the ROIC design incorporates a small photodiode in each cell to permit detailed characterization of the ROICperformance without the need for hybridization. We will describe the essential features of the ROIC design and present results of ROIC performance measurements.

Biosignal integrated circuit with simultaneous acquisition of ECG and PPG for wearable healthcare applications.

PubMed

Kim, Hyungseup; Park, Yunjong; Ko, Youngwoon; Mun, Yeongjin; Lee, Sangmin; Ko, Hyoungho

2018-01-01

Wearable healthcare systems require measurements from electrocardiograms (ECGs) and photoplethysmograms (PPGs), and the blood pressure of the user. The pulse transit time (PTT) can be calculated by measuring the ECG and PPG simultaneously. Continuous-time blood pressure without using an air cuff can be estimated by using the PTT. This paper presents a biosignal acquisition integrated circuit (IC) that can simultaneously measure the ECG and PPG for wearable healthcare applications. Included in this biosignal acquisition circuit are a voltage mode instrumentation amplifier (IA) for ECG acquisition and a current mode transimpedance amplifier for PPG acquisition. The analog outputs from the ECG and PPG channels are muxed and converted to digital signals using 12-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The proposed IC is fabricated by using a standard 0.18 μm CMOS process with an active area of 14.44 mm2. The total current consumption for the multichannel IC is 327 μA with a 3.3 V supply. The measured input referred noise of ECG readout channel is 1.3 μVRMS with a bandwidth of 0.5 Hz to 100 Hz. And the measured input referred current noise of the PPG readout channel is 0.122 nA/√Hz with a bandwidth of 0.5 Hz to 100 Hz. The proposed IC, which is implemented using various circuit techniques, can measure ECG and PPG signals simultaneously to calculate the PTT for wearable healthcare applications.

Cameras for digital microscopy.

PubMed

Spring, Kenneth R

2013-01-01

This chapter reviews the fundamental characteristics of charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and related detectors, outlines the relevant parameters for their use in microscopy, and considers promising recent developments in the technology of detectors. Electronic imaging with a CCD involves three stages--interaction of a photon with the photosensitive surface, storage of the liberated charge, and readout or measurement of the stored charge. The most demanding applications in fluorescence microscopy may require as much as four orders of greater magnitude sensitivity. The image in the present-day light microscope is usually acquired with a CCD camera. The CCD is composed of a large matrix of photosensitive elements (often referred to as "pixels" shorthand for picture elements, which simultaneously capture an image over the entire detector surface. The light-intensity information for each pixel is stored as electronic charge and is converted to an analog voltage by a readout amplifier. This analog voltage is subsequently converted to a numerical value by a digitizer situated on the CCD chip, or very close to it. Several (three to six) amplifiers are required for each pixel, and to date, uniform images with a homogeneous background have been a problem because of the inherent difficulties of balancing the gain in all of the amplifiers. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensors also exhibit relatively high noise associated with the requisite high-speed switching. Both of these deficiencies are being addressed, and sensor performance is nearing that required for scientific imaging. Copyright © 1998 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tests with beam setup of the TileCal phase-II upgrade electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reward Hlaluku, Dingane

2017-09-01

The LHC has planned a series of upgrades culminating in the High Luminosity LHC which will have an average luminosity 5-7 times larger than the nominal Run-2 value. The ATLAS Tile calorimeter plans to introduce a new readout architecture by completely replacing the back-end and front-end electronics for the High Luminosity LHC. The photomultiplier signals will be fully digitized and transferred for every bunch crossing to the off-detector Tile PreProcessor. The Tile PreProcessor will further provide preprocessed digital data to the first level of trigger with improved spatial granularity and energy resolution in contrast to the current analog trigger signals. A single super-drawer module commissioned with the phase-II upgrade electronics is to be inserted into the real detector to evaluate and qualify the new readout and trigger concepts in the overall ATLAS data acquisition system. This new super-drawer, so-called hybrid Demonstrator, must provide analog trigger signals for backward compatibility with the current system. This Demonstrator drawer has been inserted into a Tile calorimeter module prototype to evaluate the performance in the lab. In parallel, one more module has been instrumented with two other front-end electronics options based on custom ASICs (QIE and FATALIC) which are under evaluation. These two modules together with three other modules composed of the current system electronics were exposed to different particles and energies in three test-beam campaigns during 2015 and 2016.

Performance Assessment of the Digital Array Scanned Interferometer (DASI) Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katzberg, Stephen J.; Statham, Richard B.

1996-01-01

Interferometers are known to have higher throughput than grating spectrometers for the same resolvance. The digital array scanned interferometer (DASI) has been proposed as an instrument that can capitalize on the superior throughput of the interferometer and, simultaneously, be adapted to imaging. The DASI is not the first implementation of the dual purpose concept, but it is one that has made several claims of major performance superiority, and it has been developed into a complete instrument. This paper reviews the DASI concept, summarizes its claims, and gives an assessment of how well the claims are justified. It is shown that the claims of signal-to-noise ratio superiority and operational simplicity are realized only modestly, if at all.

Wavefront sensing with all-digital Stokes measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudley, Angela; Milione, Giovanni; Alfano, Robert R.; Forbes, Andrew

2014-09-01

A long-standing question in optics has been to efficiently measure the phase (or wavefront) of an optical field. This has led to numerous publications and commercial devices such as phase shift interferometry, wavefront reconstruction via modal decomposition and Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors. In this work we develop a new technique to extract the phase which in contrast to previously mentioned methods is based on polarization (or Stokes) measurements. We outline a simple, all-digital approach using only a spatial light modulator and a polarization grating to exploit the amplitude and phase relationship between the orthogonal states of polarization to determine the phase of an optical field. We implement this technique to reconstruct the phase of static and propagating optical vortices.

Experimental generation of Laguerre-Gaussian beam using digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Ren, Yu-Xuan; Li, Ming; Huang, Kun; Wu, Jian-Guang; Gao, Hong-Fang; Wang, Zi-Qiang; Li, Yin-Mei

2010-04-01

A digital micromirror device (DMD) modulates laser intensity through computer control of the device. We experimentally investigate the performance of the modulation property of a DMD and optimize the modulation procedure through image correction. Furthermore, Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams with different topological charges are generated by projecting a series of forklike gratings onto the DMD. We measure the field distribution with and without correction, the energy of LG beams with different topological charges, and the polarization property in sequence. Experimental results demonstrate that it is possible to generate LG beams with a DMD that allows the use of a high-intensity laser with proper correction to the input images, and that the polarization state of the LG beam differs from that of the input beam.

IDSAC-IUCAA digital sampler array controller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattopadhyay, Sabyasachi; Chordia, Pravin; Ramaprakash, A. N.; Burse, Mahesh P.; Joshi, Bhushan; Chillal, Kalpesh

2016-07-01

In order to run the large format detector arrays and mosaics that are required by most astronomical instruments, readout electronic controllers are required which can process multiple CCD outputs simultaneously at high speeds and low noise levels. These CCD controllers need to be modular and configurable, should be able to run multiple detector types to cater to a wide variety of requirements. IUCAA Digital Sampler Array Controller (IDSAC), is a generic CCD Controller based on a fully scalable architecture which is adequately flexible and powerful enough to control a wide variety of detectors used in ground based astronomy. The controller has a modular backplane architecture that consists of Single Board Controller Cards (SBCs) and can control up to 5 CCDs (mosaic or independent). Each Single Board Controller (SBC) has all the resources to a run Single large format CCD having up to four outputs. All SBCs are identical and are easily interchangeable without needing any reconfiguration. A four channel video processor on each SBC can process up to four output CCDs with or without dummy outputs at 0.5 Megapixels/Sec/Channel with 16 bit resolution. Each SBC has a USB 2.0 interface which can be connected to a host computer via optional USB to Fibre converters. The SBC uses a reconfigurable hardware (FPGA) as a Master Controller. IDSAC offers Digital Correlated Double Sampling (DCDS) to eliminate thermal kTC noise. CDS performed in Digital domain (DCDS) has several advantages over its analog counterpart, such as - less electronics, faster readout and easier post processing. It is also flexible with sampling rate and pixel throughput while maintaining the core circuit topology intact. Noise characterization of the IDSAC CDS signal chain has been performed by analytical modelling and practical measurements. Various types of noise such as white, pink, power supply, bias etc. has been considered while creating an analytical noise model tool to predict noise of a controller system like IDSAC. Several tests are performed to measure the actual noise of IDSAC. The theoretical calculation matches very well with practical measurements within 10% accuracy.

Flight Qualified Micro Sun Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebe, Carl Christian; Mobasser, Sohrab; Wrigley, Chris; Schroeder, Jeffrey; Bae, Youngsam; Naegle, James; Katanyoutanant, Sunant; Jerebets, Sergei; Schatzel, Donald; Lee, Choonsup

2007-01-01

A prototype small, lightweight micro Sun sensor (MSS) has been flight qualified as part of the attitude-determination system of a spacecraft or for Mars surface operations. The MSS has previously been reported at a very early stage of development in NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 1 (January 2004). An MSS is essentially a miniature multiple-pinhole electronic camera combined with digital processing electronics that functions analogously to a sundial. A micromachined mask containing a number of microscopic pinholes is mounted in front of an active-pixel sensor (APS). Electronic circuits for controlling the operation of the APS, readout from the pixel photodetectors, and analog-to-digital conversion are all integrated onto the same chip along with the APS. The digital processing includes computation of the centroids of the pinhole Sun images on the APS. The spacecraft computer has the task of converting the Sun centroids into Sun angles utilizing a calibration polynomial. The micromachined mask comprises a 500-micron-thick silicon wafer, onto which is deposited a 57-nm-thick chromium adhesion- promotion layer followed by a 200-nm-thick gold light-absorption layer. The pinholes, 50 microns in diameter, are formed in the gold layer by photolithography. The chromium layer is thin enough to be penetrable by an amount of Sunlight adequate to form measurable pinhole images. A spacer frame between the mask and the APS maintains a gap of .1 mm between the pinhole plane and the photodetector plane of the APS. To minimize data volume, mass, and power consumption, the digital processing of the APS readouts takes place in a single field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The particular FPGA is a radiation- tolerant unit that contains .32,000 gates. No external memory is used so the FPGA calculates the centroids in real time as pixels are read off the APS with minimal internal memory. To enable the MSS to fit into a small package, the APS, the FPGA, and other components are mounted on a single two-sided board following chip-on-board design practices

Quantitative analysis of transmittance and photoluminescence using a low cost apparatus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onorato, P.; Malgieri, M.; De Ambrosis, A.

2016-01-01

We show how a low cost spectrometer, based on the use of inexpensive diffraction transmission gratings coupled with a commercial digital photo camera or a cellphone, can be assembled and employed to obtain quantitative spectra of different sources. In particular, we discuss its use in studying the spectra of fluorescent colored ink, used in highlighting pens, for which the transmission band and the emission peaks are measured and related to the ink color.

Broadband optical equalizer using fault tolerant digital micromirrors.

PubMed

Riza, Nabeel; Mughal, M Junaid

2003-06-30

For the first time, the design and demonstration of a near continuous spectral processing mode broadband equalizer is described using the earlier proposed macro-pixel spatial approach for multiwavelength fiber-optic attenuation in combination with a high spectral resolution broadband transmissive volume Bragg grating. The demonstrated design features low loss and low polarization dependent loss with broadband operation. Such an analog mode spectral processor can impact optical applications ranging from test and instrumentation to dynamic alloptical networks.

High-speed femtosecond laser beam shaping based on binary holography using a digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Cheng, Jiyi; Gu, Chenglin; Zhang, Dapeng; Chen, Shih-Chi

2015-11-01

In this Letter, we present a digital micromirror device (DMD)-based ultrafast beam shaper, i.e., DUBS. To our knowledge, the DUBS is the first binary laser beam shaper that can generate high-resolution (1140×912 pixels) arbitrary beam modes for femtosecond lasers at a rate of 4.2 kHz; the resolution and pattern rate are limited by the DMD. In the DUBS, the spectrum of the input pulsed laser is first angularly dispersed by a transmission grating and subsequently imaged to a DMD with beam modulation patterns; the transmission grating and a high-reflectivity mirror together compensate the angular dispersion introduced by the DMD. The mode of the output beam is monitored by a CCD camera. In the experiments, the DUBS is programmed to generate four different beam modes, including an Airy beam, Bessel beam, Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beam, and a custom-designed "peace-dove" beam via the principle of binary holography. To verify the high shaping rate, the Airy beam and LG beam are generated alternately at 4.2 kHz, i.e., the maximum pattern rate of our DMD. The overall efficiency of the DUBS is measured to be 4.7%. With the high-speed and high-resolution beam-shaping capability, the DUBS may find important applications in nonlinear microscopy, optical manipulation, and microscale/nanoscale laser machining, etc.

Digitally controlled analog proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for high-speed scanning probe microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dukic, Maja; Todorov, Vencislav; Andany, Santiago; Nievergelt, Adrian P.; Yang, Chen; Hosseini, Nahid; Fantner, Georg E.

2017-12-01

Nearly all scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) contain a feedback controller, which is used to move the scanner in the direction of the z-axis in order to maintain a constant setpoint based on the tip-sample interaction. The most frequently used feedback controller in SPMs is the proportional-integral (PI) controller. The bandwidth of the PI controller presents one of the speed limiting factors in high-speed SPMs, where higher bandwidths enable faster scanning speeds and higher imaging resolution. Most SPM systems use digital signal processor-based PI feedback controllers, which require analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. These converters introduce additional feedback delays which limit the achievable imaging speed and resolution. In this paper, we present a digitally controlled analog proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. The controller implementation allows tunability of the PID gains over a large amplification and frequency range, while also providing precise control of the system and reproducibility of the gain parameters. By using the analog PID controller, we were able to perform successful atomic force microscopy imaging of a standard silicon calibration grating at line rates up to several kHz.

Digitally controlled analog proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for high-speed scanning probe microscopy.

PubMed

Dukic, Maja; Todorov, Vencislav; Andany, Santiago; Nievergelt, Adrian P; Yang, Chen; Hosseini, Nahid; Fantner, Georg E

2017-12-01

Nearly all scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) contain a feedback controller, which is used to move the scanner in the direction of the z-axis in order to maintain a constant setpoint based on the tip-sample interaction. The most frequently used feedback controller in SPMs is the proportional-integral (PI) controller. The bandwidth of the PI controller presents one of the speed limiting factors in high-speed SPMs, where higher bandwidths enable faster scanning speeds and higher imaging resolution. Most SPM systems use digital signal processor-based PI feedback controllers, which require analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. These converters introduce additional feedback delays which limit the achievable imaging speed and resolution. In this paper, we present a digitally controlled analog proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. The controller implementation allows tunability of the PID gains over a large amplification and frequency range, while also providing precise control of the system and reproducibility of the gain parameters. By using the analog PID controller, we were able to perform successful atomic force microscopy imaging of a standard silicon calibration grating at line rates up to several kHz.

A Capacitance-To-Digital Converter for MEMS Sensors for Smart Applications.

PubMed

Pérez Sanjurjo, Javier; Prefasi, Enrique; Buffa, Cesare; Gaggl, Richard

2017-06-07

The use of MEMS sensors has been increasing in recent years. To cover all the applications, many different readout circuits are needed. To reduce the cost and time to market, a generic capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) seems to be the logical next step. This work presents a configurable CDC designed for capacitive MEMS sensors. The sensor is built with a bridge of MEMS, where some of them function with pressure. Then, the capacitive to digital conversion is realized using two steps. First, a switched-capacitor (SC) preamplifier is used to make the capacitive to voltage (C-V) conversion. Second, a self-oscillated noise-shaping integrating dual-slope (DS) converter is used to digitize this magnitude. The proposed converter uses time instead of amplitude resolution to generate a multibit digital output stream. In addition it performs noise shaping of the quantization error to reduce measurement time. This article shows the effectiveness of this method by measurements performed on a prototype, designed and fabricated using standard 0.13 µm CMOS technology. Experimental measurements show that the CDC achieves a resolution of 17 bits, with an effective area of 0.317 mm², which means a pressure resolution of 1 Pa, while consuming 146 µA from a 1.5 V power supply.

A Capacitance-To-Digital Converter for MEMS Sensors for Smart Applications

PubMed Central

Pérez Sanjurjo, Javier; Prefasi, Enrique; Buffa, Cesare; Gaggl, Richard

2017-01-01

The use of MEMS sensors has been increasing in recent years. To cover all the applications, many different readout circuits are needed. To reduce the cost and time to market, a generic capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) seems to be the logical next step. This work presents a configurable CDC designed for capacitive MEMS sensors. The sensor is built with a bridge of MEMS, where some of them function with pressure. Then, the capacitive to digital conversion is realized using two steps. First, a switched-capacitor (SC) preamplifier is used to make the capacitive to voltage (C-V) conversion. Second, a self-oscillated noise-shaping integrating dual-slope (DS) converter is used to digitize this magnitude. The proposed converter uses time instead of amplitude resolution to generate a multibit digital output stream. In addition it performs noise shaping of the quantization error to reduce measurement time. This article shows the effectiveness of this method by measurements performed on a prototype, designed and fabricated using standard 0.13 µm CMOS technology. Experimental measurements show that the CDC achieves a resolution of 17 bits, with an effective area of 0.317 mm2, which means a pressure resolution of 1 Pa, while consuming 146 µA from a 1.5 V power supply. PMID:28590425

Cross strip anode readouts for microchannel plate detectors: developing flight qualified prototypes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallerga, John; Cooney, M.; Raffanti, R.; Varner, G.; Siegmund, O.; McPhate, J. B.; Tremsin, A.

2014-01-01

Photon counting microchannel plate (MCP) imagers have been the detector of choice for most UV astronomical missions over the last two decades (eg. EUVE, FUSE, COS on Hubble etc.). Over this duration, improvements in the MCP laboratory readout technology have resulted in better spatial resolution (x10), temporal resolution (x 1000) and output event rate (x100), all the while operating at lower gain (x 10) resulting in lower high voltage requirements and longer MCP lifetimes. One such technology is the parallel cross strip (PXS) readout. The PXS anode is a set of orthogonal conducting strips (80 x 80), typically spaced at a 635 micron pitch onto which charge clouds from MCP amplified events land. Each strip has its own charge sensitive amplifier that is sampled continuously by a dedicated analog to digital (ADC) converter at 50MHz. All of the 160 ADC digital output lines are fed into a field programmable gate array (FGPA) which can detect charge events landing on the strips, measure the peak amplitudes of those charge events and calculate their spatial centroid along with their time of arrival (X,Y,T). Laboratory versions of these electronics have demonstrated < 20 microns FWHM spatial resolution, count rates on the order of 2 MHz, and temporal resolution of ~ 1ns. In 2012 the our group at U.C. Berkeley, along with our partners at the U. Hawaii, received a Strategic Astrophysics Technology grant to raise the TRL of the PXS detector from 4 to 6 by replacing most of the 19" rack mounted, high powered electronics with application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) which will lower the power, mass and volume requirements of the PXS detector. We were also tasked to design and fabricate a "standard" 50mm square active area MCP detector incorporating these electronics that can be environmentally qualified for flight (temperature, vacuum, vibration). This detector design could then be modified for individual flight opportunities with a higher level of confidence than starting from scratch. We will present the latest progress on the ASIC designs, fabrication and performance and show imaging results from the 50mm XS detector using our current laboratory PXS electronics.

CCDiode: an optimal detector for laser confocal microscopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawley, James B.; Blouke, Morley M.; Janesick, James R.

1996-04-01

The laser confocal microscope (LCM) is now an established research tool in biology and materials science. In biological applications, it is usually employed to detect the location of fluorescent market molecules and, under these conditions, signal levels from bright areas are often < 20 photons/pixel (from the specimen, assuming a standard 512 X 768, 1 sec. scan). Although this data rate limits the speed at which information can be derived from the specimen, saturation of the fluorophor, photobleaching of the dye, and phototoxicity prevent it being increased. Currently, most LCMs use photomultiplier tubes (PMT, QE equals 1 - 30% 400 - 900 nm). By contrast, rear-illuminated, scientific charge-coupled devices (CCD) now routinely readout the signal from square sensors approximately 30 micrometers on a side with a QE of 80 - 90%, a noise of only +/- 3 e-/pix and with no multiplicative noise. For this reason, in 1989, one of us (JJ) developed a rear-illuminated, single-channel Si sensor, called the Turbodiode, employing some of the sophisticated readout techniques used to measure charge in a scientific CCD. We are now extending this work to a device in which a single 36 X 36 micrometers sensor is read out through a low-noise FET charge amplifier with a reset circuit and then passed to a correlated, double-sampling digitizer. To maintain the desired +/- 3 e noise level at the relatively high data rate of 1 MHz, our new device utilizes 64 separate readout amplifier/digitizer systems, operating in sequence. The resulting detector is more compact, efficient and reliable than the PMT it replaces but as its sensitive area is smaller than that of a PMT, it will require auxiliary optics when used with any LCM having a large (mm) pinhole. As the signal light is parallel, a simple lens mounted axially and with the CCDiode at its focus would suffice. Future versions may use 3 X 3 or 5 X 5 arrays of sensors to `track' the confocal spot as it is deflected by inhomogeneities of the specimen, change its effective size or shape or detect system misalignment.

Ultrasonic Ranging System With Increased Resolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, William E.; Johnson, William G.

1987-01-01

Master-oscillator frequency increased. Ultrasonic range-measuring system with 0.1-in. resolution provides continuous digital display of four distance readings, each updated four times per second. Four rangefinder modules in system are modified versions of rangefinder used for automatic focusing in commercial series of cameras. Ultrasonic pulses emitted by system innocuous to both people and equipment. Provides economical solutions to such distance-measurement problems as posed by boats approaching docks, truck backing toward loading platform, runway-clearance readout for tail of airplane with high angle attack, or burglar alarm.

Photocleavable DNA Barcoding Antibodies for Multiplexed Protein Analysis in Single Cells.

PubMed

Ullal, Adeeti V; Weissleder, Ralph

2015-01-01

We describe a DNA-barcoded antibody sensing technique for single cell protein analysis in which the barcodes are photocleaved and digitally detected without amplification steps (Ullal et al., Sci Transl Med 6:219, 2014). After photocleaving the unique ~70 mer DNA barcodes we use a fluorescent hybridization technology for detection, similar to what is commonly done for nucleic acid readouts. This protocol offers a simple method for multiplexed protein detection using 100+ antibodies and can be performed on clinical samples as well as single cells.

Multichannel low power time-to-digital converter card with 21 ps precision and full scale range up to 10 μs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tamborini, D., E-mail: davide.tamborini@polimi.it; Portaluppi, D.; Villa, F.

We present a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) card with a compact form factor, suitable for multichannel timing instruments or for integration into more complex systems. The TDC Card provides 10 ps timing resolution over the whole measurement range, which is selectable from 160 ns up to 10 μs, reaching 21 ps rms precision, 1.25% LSB rms differential nonlinearity, up to 3 Mconversion/s with 400 mW power consumption. The I/O edge card connector provides timing data readout through either a parallel bus or a 100 MHz serial interface and further measurement information like input signal rate and valid conversion rate (typically usefulmore » for time-correlated single-photon counting application) through an independent serial link.« less

Recent progress of RD53 Collaboration towards next generation Pixel Read-Out Chip for HL-LHC

DOE PAGES

Demaria, N.

2016-12-21

This paper is a review of recent progress of RD53 Collaboration. Results obtained on the study of the radiation effects on 65 nm CMOS have matured enough to define first strategies to adopt in the design of analog and digital circuits. Critical building blocks and analog very front end chains have been designed, tested before and after 5–800 Mrad. Small prototypes of 64×64 pixels with complex digital architectures have been produced, and point to address the main issues of dealing with extremely high pixel rates, while operating at very small in-time thresholds in the analog front end. Lastly, the collaborationmore » is now proceeding at full speed towards the design of a large scale prototype, called RD53A, in 65 nm CMOS technology.« less

Digital communication with Rydberg atoms and amplitude-modulated microwave fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, David H.; Cox, Kevin C.; Fatemi, Fredrik K.; Kunz, Paul D.

2018-05-01

Rydberg atoms, with one highly excited, nearly ionized electron, have extreme sensitivity to electric fields, including microwave fields ranging from 100 MHz to over 1 THz. Here, we show that room-temperature Rydberg atoms can be used as sensitive, high bandwidth, microwave communication antennas. We demonstrate near photon-shot-noise limited readout of data encoded in amplitude-modulated 17 GHz microwaves, using an electromagnetically induced-transparency (EIT) probing scheme. We measure a photon-shot-noise limited channel capacity of up to 8.2 Mbit s-1 and implement an 8-state phase-shift-keying digital communication protocol. The bandwidth of the EIT probing scheme is found to be limited by the available coupling laser power and the natural linewidth of the rubidium D2 transition. We discuss how atomic communication receivers offer several opportunities to surpass the capabilities of classical antennas.

SAMPA Chip: the New 32 Channels ASIC for the ALICE TPC and MCH Upgrades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adolfsson, J.; Ayala Pabon, A.; Bregant, M.; Britton, C.; Brulin, G.; Carvalho, D.; Chambert, V.; Chinellato, D.; Espagnon, B.; Hernandez Herrera, H. D.; Ljubicic, T.; Mahmood, S. M.; Mjörnmark, U.; Moraes, D.; Munhoz, M. G.; Noël, G.; Oskarsson, A.; Osterman, L.; Pilyar, A.; Read, K.; Ruette, A.; Russo, P.; Sanches, B. C. S.; Severo, L.; Silvermyr, D.; Suire, C.; Tambave, G. J.; Tun-Lanoë, K. M. M.; van Noije, W.; Velure, A.; Vereschagin, S.; Wanlin, E.; Weber, T. O.; Zaporozhets, S.

2017-04-01

This paper presents the test results of the second prototype of SAMPA, the ASIC designed for the upgrade of read-out front end electronics of the ALICE Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and Muon Chamber (MCH). SAMPA is made in a 130 nm CMOS technology with 1.25 V nominal voltage supply and provides 32 channels, with selectable input polarity, and three possible combinations of shaping time and sensitivity. Each channel consists of a Charge Sensitive Amplifier, a semi-Gaussian shaper and a 10-bit ADC; a Digital Signal Processor provides digital filtering and compression capability. In the second prototype run both full chip and single test blocks were fabricated, allowing block characterization and full system behaviour studies. Experimental results are here presented showing agreement with requirements for both the blocks and the full chip.

The SOFIA/SAFIRE Far-Infrared Spectrometer: Highlighting Submillimeter Astrophysics and Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benford, Dominic J.

2009-01-01

The Submillimeter and Far-InfraRed Experiment (SAFIRE) on the SOFIA airborne observatory is an imaging spectrometer for wavelengths between 28 microns and 440 microns. Our design is a dual-band long-slit grating spectrometer, which provides broadband (approx. 4000 km/s) observations in two lines simultaneously over a field of view roughly 10" wide by 320" long. The low backgrounds in spectroscopy require very sensitive detectors with noise equivalent powers of order 10(exp -18) W/square root of Hz. We are developing a kilopixel, filled detector array for SAFIRE in a 32 x 40 format. The detector consists of a transition edge sensor (TES) bolometer array, a per-pixel broadband absorbing backshort array, and a NIST SQUID multiplexer readout array. This general type of array has been used successfully in the GISMO instrument, so we extrapolate to the sensitivity needed for airborne spectroscopy. Much of the cryogenic, electronics, and software infrastructure for SAFIRE have been developed. I provide here an overview of the progress on SAFIRE.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Ages and metallicities for M31 star clusters (Fan+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Z.; de Grijs, R.; Chen, B.; Jiang, L.; Bian, F.; Li, Z.

2017-05-01

We have selected 22 confirmed M31 globular clusters from Peacock et al. 2010 (Cat. J/MNRAS/402/803). Spectroscopic observations were carried out with the 6.5m MMT/Red Channel Spectrograph from 2010 October 31 to 2010 November 2 and on 2011 November 4. The telescope is located on Mt. Hopkins in Arizona (USA) at an altitude of 2581m. The exposure times used ranged from 480-1800s, depending on the cluster brightness. The median seeing was ~0.98'' and we adopted a slit aperture of 0.75''*180''. The CCD's size is 450*1032 pixels2. It is characterized by a gain of 1.3e- ADU-1, with a readout noise of 3.5e-. A grating with 600l/mm with a blaze 1st/4800 was used. The spectral resolution was R=960 for a slit of 1'' and a central wavelength of 4701Å; the dispersion was 1.63Å/pixel. (7 data files).

New Position Algorithms for the 3-D CZT Drift Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budtz-Jørgensen, C.; Kuvvetli, I.

2017-06-01

The 3-D position sensitive CZT detector for high-energy astrophysics developed at DTU has been investigated with a digitizer readout system. The 3-D CZT detector is based on the CZT drift-strip detector principle and was fabricated using a REDLEN CZT crystal (20 mm × 20 mm × 5 mm). The detector contains 12 drift cells, each comprising one collecting anode strip with four drift strips, biased such that the electrons are focused and collected by the anode strips. Three-dimensional position determination is achieved using the anode strip signals, the drift-strip signals, and the signals from ten cathode strips. For the characterization work, we used a DAQ system with a 16 channels 250-MHz 14-b digitizer, SIS3316. It allowed us to analyze the pulse shapes of the signals from four detector cells at a time. The 3-D CZT setup was characterized with a finely collimated radioactive source of 137Cs at 662 keV. The analysis required development of novel position determination algorithms which are the subject of this paper. Using the digitizer readout, we demonstrate improved position determination compared to the previous read out system based on analog electronics. Position resolutions of 0.4-mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) in the x-, y-, and z-directions were achieved and the energy resolution was 7.2-keV FWHM at 662 keV. The timing information allows identification of multiple interaction events within one detector cell, e.g., Compton scattering followed by photoelectric absorption. These characteristics are very important for a high-energy spectral-imager suitable for use in advanced Compton telescopes, or as focal detector for new hard X-ray and soft γ-ray focusing telescopes or in polarimeter instrumentation. CZT detectors are attractive for these applications since they offer relatively high-quantum efficiency. From a technical point of view it is advantageous that their cooling requirements are modest.

IMOTEPAD: A mixed-signal 64-channel front-end ASIC for small-animal PET imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Xiaochao; Ollivier-Henry, Nicolas; Gao, Wu; Hu-Guo, Christine; Colledani, Claude; Humbert, Bernard; Brasse, David; Hu, Yann

2011-04-01

This paper presents the design and characteristics of a mixed-signal 64-channel front-end readout ASIC called IMOTEPAD dedicated to multi-channel plate (MCP) photodetector coupled to LYSO scintillating crystals for small-animal PET imaging. In our configuration, the crystals are oriented in the axial direction readout on both sides by individual photodetector channels allowing the spatial resolution and the detection efficiency to be independent of each other. As a result, both energy signals and timing triggers from the photodetectors are required to be read out by the front-end ASIC. This dedicated ASIC IMOTEPAD comprises two parts: the analog part IMOTEPA and the digital part IMOTEPD. The IMOTEPA is dedicated to energy measurement. And the timing information is digitized by the IMOTEPD in which the key principal element is a time-to-digital converter (TDC) based on a delay-locked loop (DLL) with 32 delay cells. The chip is designed and fabricated in 0.35 μm CMOS process. The measurements show that for the analog part IMOTEPA, the energy gain is 13.1 mV/pC while the peak time of a CR-RC pulse shaper is 280 ns. The SNR is 39 dB and the RMS noise is 300 μV. The nonlinearity is less than 3%. The crosstalk is less than 0.2%. For the IMOTEPD, the bin size of the TDC is 625 ps with a reference clock of 50 MHz. The RMS jitter of the DLL is less than 42 ps. The DNL of the TDC is equal to about 0.17 LSB and the INL is equal to 0.31 LSB. The power dissipation of each channel is less than 16.8 mW. The design of the ASIC, especially for TDC and the measurement results of the IMOTEPAD will be presented and discussed in this paper.

Design of a fiber-optic interrogator module for telecommunication satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putzer, Philipp; Koch, Alexander W.; Plattner, Markus; Hurni, Andreas; Manhart, Markus

2017-11-01

In this paper we present the results of the radiation tests performed on the optical components of the fiber-optic interrogator module as a part of the Hybrid Sensor Bus (HSB) system. The HSB-system is developed in the frame of an ESAARTES program and will be verified as flight demonstrator onboard the German Heinrich Hertz satellite in 2016. The HSB system is based on a modular concept which includes sensor interrogation modules based on I2C electrical and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) fiber-optical sensor elements. Onboard fiber-optic sensing allows the implementation of novel control and monitoring methods. For read-out of multiple FBG sensors, a design based on a tunable laser diode as well as a design based on a spectrometer is considered. The expected and tested total ionizing dose (TID) applicable to the HSB system is in the range between 100 krad and 300 krad inside the satellite in the geostationary orbit over a life time of 15 years. We present radiation test results carried out on critical optical components to be used in the fiber-optic interrogation module. These components are a modulated grating Y-branch (MGY) tunable laser diode acting as light source for the tuning laser approach, the line detector of a spectrometer, photodetectors and the FBG sensors acting as sensor elements. A detailed literature inquiry of radiation effects on optical fibers and FBG sensors, is also included in the paper. The fiber-optic interrogator module implemented in the HSB system is based on the most suitable technology, which sustains the harsh environment in the geostationary orbit.

Novel label-free biosensing technology for monitoring of aqueous solutions (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kehl, Florian; Bielecki, Robert; Follonier, Stephane; Dorokhin, Denis

2016-03-01

Waste water, drinking water and other industrial water sources are more and more/increasingly polluted with a large variety of contaminants, such as pesticides or residuals of pharmaceuticals. These compounds can impact human and animal organisms and lead to serious health issues. Today, in order to analyze the presence and quantity of the abovementioned micropollutants, samples are typically sent to specialized centralized laboratories and their processing may take up to several days. In order to meet the demand for continuous and consistent monitoring of aqueous solutions we propose a novel label-free technology system comprising proprietary chip and reader device designs. The core of the system is constituted by a planar-grated-waveguide (PGW) chip. Label-free biosensors, based on PGWs are sensitive to effective refractive index changes caused by the adsorption of biomolecules (micropollutants) onto the sensor surface or due to refractive index changes of the bulk solution. The presented reader device operates with a novel readout concept based on a scanning MEMS mirror for the angular interrogation of input grating couplers at a high repetition rate. The reader has fully integrated optics, electronics and fluidics and at the same time consumes limited energy (portable, field use ready). In the recent experiments, the effectiveness of the technology has been demonstrated with various liquids and bioassays showing (i) an excellent refractometric sensitivity with a limit of detection towards effective refractive index changes of ▵neff < 2 x 10-7, and (ii) the capability to perform affinity measurements for large (<150 kDa) and small (<250 Da) molecules.

Apodized coupled resonator waveguides.

PubMed

Capmany, J; Muñoz, P; Domenech, J D; Muriel, M A

2007-08-06

In this paper we propose analyse the apodisation or windowing of the coupling coefficients in the unit cells of coupled resonator waveguide devices (CROWs) as a means to reduce the level of secondary sidelobes in the bandpass characteristic of their transfer functions. This technique is regularly employed in the design of digital filters and has been applied as well in the design of other photonic devices such as corrugated waveguide filters and fiber Bragg gratings. The apodisation of both Type-I and Type-II structures is discussed for several windowing functions.

The Muon Portal Double Tracker for the Inspection of Travelling Containers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pugliatti, C.; Antonuccio, V.; Bandieramonte, M.; Becciani, U.; Belluomo, F.; Blancato, A.; Bonanno, G.; Costa, A.; Fallica, P. G.; Garozzo, S.; Grillo, A.; Indelicato, V.; La Rocca, P.; Leonora, E.; Longhitano, F.; Longo, S.; Lo Presti, D.; Marano, D.; Massimino, P.; Petta, C.; Pistagna, C.; Puglisi, M.; Randazzo, N.; Riggi, F.; Riggi, S.; Romeo, G.; Russo, G. V.; Santagati, G.; Timpanaro, M. C.; Valvo, G.; Vitello, F.; Zaia, A.

2015-12-01

The Muon Portal Project has as its goal the design and construction of a real-size working detector prototype in scale 1:1, to inspect the content of travelling containers by means of the secondary cosmic-ray muon radiation and to recognize high-Z hidden materials (i.e. U, Pu). The tomographic image is obtained by reconstructing the input and output trajectories of each muon when it crosses the container and, consequently, the scattering angle, making use of two trackers placed above and below the container. The scan is performed without adding any external radiation, in a reasonable time (few minutes) and with a good spatial and angular resolution. The detector consists of 8 planes each segmented in 6 identical modules. Each module is made of scintillating strips with two WaveLength Shifting fibers (WLS) inside, coupled to Silicon photomultipliers. The customized read-out electronics employs programmable boards. Thanks to a smart read-out system, the number of output channels is reduced by a factor 10. The signals from the front-end modules are sent to the read-out boards, in order to convert analog signals to digital ones, by comparison with a threshold. The data are pre-analyzed and stored into a data acquisition PC. After an intense measurement and simulation campaign to carefully characterize the detector components, the first detection modules ( 1 ×3 m2) have been already built. In this paper the detector architecture, particularly focusing on the used electronics and the main preliminary results will be presented.

Optical delay encoding for fast timing and detector signal multiplexing in PET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grant, Alexander M.; Levin, Craig S., E-mail: cslevin@stanford.edu; Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford

2015-08-15

Purpose: The large number of detector channels in modern positron emission tomography (PET) scanners poses a challenge in terms of readout electronics complexity. Multiplexing schemes are typically implemented to reduce the number of physical readout channels, but often result in performance degradation. Novel methods of multiplexing in PET must be developed to avoid this data degradation. The preservation of fast timing information is especially important for time-of-flight PET. Methods: A new multiplexing scheme based on encoding detector interaction events with a series of extremely fast overlapping optical pulses with precise delays is demonstrated in this work. Encoding events in thismore » way potentially allows many detector channels to be simultaneously encoded onto a single optical fiber that is then read out by a single digitizer. A two channel silicon photomultiplier-based prototype utilizing this optical delay encoding technique along with dual threshold time-over-threshold is demonstrated. Results: The optical encoding and multiplexing prototype achieves a coincidence time resolution of 160 ps full width at half maximum (FWHM) and an energy resolution of 13.1% FWHM at 511 keV with 3 × 3 × 5 mm{sup 3} LYSO crystals. All interaction information for both detectors, including timing, energy, and channel identification, is encoded onto a single optical fiber with little degradation. Conclusions: Optical delay encoding and multiplexing technology could lead to time-of-flight PET scanners with fewer readout channels and simplified data acquisition systems.« less

Highly efficient router-based readout algorithm for single-photon-avalanche-diode imagers for time-correlated experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cominelli, A.; Acconcia, G.; Caldi, F.; Peronio, P.; Ghioni, M.; Rech, I.

2018-02-01

Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) is a powerful tool that permits to record extremely fast optical signals with a precision down to few picoseconds. On the other hand, it is recognized as a relatively slow technique, especially when a large time-resolved image is acquired exploiting a single acquisition channel and a scanning system. During the last years, much effort has been made towards the parallelization of many acquisition and conversion chains. In particular, the exploitation of Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes in standard CMOS technology has paved the way to the integration of thousands of independent channels on the same chip. Unfortunately, the presence of a large number of detectors can give rise to a huge rate of events, which can easily lead to the saturation of the transfer rate toward the elaboration unit. As a result, a smart readout approach is needed to guarantee an efficient exploitation of the limited transfer bandwidth. We recently introduced a novel readout architecture, aimed at maximizing the counting efficiency of the system in typical TCSPC measurements. It features a limited number of high-performance converters, which are shared with a much larger array, while a smart routing logic provides a dynamic multiplexing between the two parts. Here we propose a novel routing algorithm, which exploits standard digital gates distributed among a large 32x32 array to ensure a dynamic connection between detectors and external time-measurement circuits.

Nonlinear digital out-of-plane waveguide coupler based on nonlinear scattering of a single graphene layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asadi, Reza; Ouyang, Zhengbiao

2018-03-01

A new mechanism for out-of-plane coupling into a waveguide is presented and numerically studied based on nonlinear scattering of a single nano-scale Graphene layer inside the waveguide. In this mechanism, the refractive index nonlinearity of Graphene and nonhomogeneous light intensity distribution occurred due to the interference between the out-of-plane incident pump light and the waveguide mode provide a virtual grating inside the waveguide, coupling the out-of-plane pump light into the waveguide. It has been shown that the coupling efficiency has two distinct values with high contrast around a threshold pump intensity, providing suitable condition for digital optical applications. The structure operates at a resonance mode due to band edge effect, which enhances the nonlinearity and decreases the required threshold intensity.

Fast integral methods for integrated optical systems simulations: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleemann, Bernd H.

2015-09-01

Boundary integral equation methods (BIM) or simply integral methods (IM) in the context of optical design and simulation are rigorous electromagnetic methods solving Helmholtz or Maxwell equations on the boundary (surface or interface of the structures between two materials) for scattering or/and diffraction purposes. This work is mainly restricted to integral methods for diffracting structures such as gratings, kinoforms, diffractive optical elements (DOEs), micro Fresnel lenses, computer generated holograms (CGHs), holographic or digital phase holograms, periodic lithographic structures, and the like. In most cases all of the mentioned structures have dimensions of thousands of wavelengths in diameter. Therefore, the basic methods necessary for the numerical treatment are locally applied electromagnetic grating diffraction algorithms. Interestingly, integral methods belong to the first electromagnetic methods investigated for grating diffraction. The development started in the mid 1960ies for gratings with infinite conductivity and it was mainly due to the good convergence of the integral methods especially for TM polarization. The first integral equation methods (IEM) for finite conductivity were the methods by D. Maystre at Fresnel Institute in Marseille: in 1972/74 for dielectric, and metallic gratings, and later for multiprofile, and other types of gratings and for photonic crystals. Other methods such as differential and modal methods suffered from unstable behaviour and slow convergence compared to BIMs for metallic gratings in TM polarization from the beginning to the mid 1990ies. The first BIM for gratings using a parametrization of the profile was developed at Karl-Weierstrass Institute in Berlin under a contract with Carl Zeiss Jena works in 1984-1986 by A. Pomp, J. Creutziger, and the author. Due to the parametrization, this method was able to deal with any kind of surface grating from the beginning: whether profiles with edges, overhanging non-functional profiles, very deep ones, very large ones compared to wavelength, or simple smooth profiles. This integral method with either trigonometric or spline collocation, iterative solver with O(N2) complexity, named IESMP, was significantly improved by an efficient mesh refinement, matrix preconditioning, Ewald summation method, and an exponentially convergent quadrature in 2006 by G. Schmidt and A. Rathsfeld from Weierstrass-Institute (WIAS) Berlin. The so-called modified integral method (MIM) is a modification of the IEM of D. Maystre and has been introduced by L. Goray in 1995. It has been improved for weak convergence problems in 2001 and it was the only commercial available integral method for a long time, known as PCGRATE. All referenced integral methods so far are for in-plane diffraction only, no conical diffraction was possible. The first integral method for gratings in conical mounting was developed and proven under very weak conditions by G. Schmidt (WIAS) in 2010. It works for separated interfaces and for inclusions as well as for interpenetrating interfaces and for a large number of thin and thick layers in the same stable way. This very fast method has then been implemented for parallel processing under Unix and Windows operating systems. This work gives an overview over the most important BIMs for grating diffraction. It starts by presenting the historical evolution of the methods, highlights their advantages and differences, and gives insight into new approaches and their achievements. It addresses future open challenges at the end.

Fully integrated low-noise readout circuit with automatic offset cancellation loop for capacitive microsensors.

PubMed

Song, Haryong; Park, Yunjong; Kim, Hyungseup; Cho, Dong-Il Dan; Ko, Hyoungho

2015-10-14

Capacitive sensing schemes are widely used for various microsensors; however, such microsensors suffer from severe parasitic capacitance problems. This paper presents a fully integrated low-noise readout circuit with automatic offset cancellation loop (AOCL) for capacitive microsensors. The output offsets of the capacitive sensing chain due to the parasitic capacitances and process variations are automatically removed using AOCL. The AOCL generates electrically equivalent offset capacitance and enables charge-domain fine calibration using a 10-bit R-2R digital-to-analog converter, charge-transfer switches, and a charge-storing capacitor. The AOCL cancels the unwanted offset by binary-search algorithm based on 10-bit successive approximation register (SAR) logic. The chip is implemented using 0.18 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process with an active area of 1.76 mm². The power consumption is 220 μW with 3.3 V supply. The input parasitic capacitances within the range of -250 fF to 250 fF can be cancelled out automatically, and the required calibration time is lower than 10 ms.

Toward a reduced-wire readout system for ultrasound imaging.

PubMed

Lim, Jaemyung; Arkan, Evren F; Degertekin, F Levent; Ghovanloo, Maysam

2014-01-01

We present a system-on-a-chip (SoC) for use in high-frequency capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) imaging systems. This SoC consists of trans-impedance amplifiers (TIA), delay locked loop (DLL) based clock multiplier, quadrature sampler, and pulse width modulator (PWM). The SoC down converts RF echo signal to baseband by quadrature sampling which facilitates modulation. To send data through a 1.6 m wire in the catheter which has limited bandwidth and is vulnerable to noise, the SoC creates a pseudo-digital PWM signal which can be used for back telemetry or wireless readout of the RF data. In this implementation, using a 0.35-μm std. CMOS process, the TIA and single-to-differential (STD) converter had 45 MHz bandwidth, the quadrature sampler had 10.1 dB conversion gain, and the PWM had 5-bit ENoB. Preliminary results verified front-end functionality, and the power consumption of a TIA, STD, quadrature sampler, PWM, and clock multiplier was 26 mW from a 3 V supply.

Status of the NectarCAM camera project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glicenstein, J.-F.; Barcelo, M.; Barrio, J.-A.; Blanch, O.; Boix, J.; Bolmont, J.; Boutonnet, C.; Brun, P.; Chabanne, E.; Champion, C.; Colonges, S.; Corona, P.; Courty, B.; Delagnes, E.; Delgado, C.; Diaz, C.; Ernenwein, J.-P.; Fegan, S.; Ferreira, O.; Fesquet, M.; Fontaine, G.; Fouque, N.; Henault, F.; Gascón, D.; Giebels, B.; Herranz, D.; Hermel, R.; Hoffmann, D.; Horan, D.; Houles, J.; Jean, P.; Karkar, S.; Knödlseder, J.; Martinez, G.; Lamanna, G.; LeFlour, T.; Lévêque, A.; Lopez-Coto, R.; Louis, F.; Moudden, Y.; Moulin, E.; Nayman, P.; Nunio, F.; Olive, J.-F.; Panazol, J.-L.; Pavy, S.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Punch, M.; Prast, Julie; Ramon, P.; Rateau, S.; Ribó, M.; Rosier-Lees, S.; Sanuy, A.; Sizun, P.; Sieiro, J.; Sulanke, K.-H.; Tavernet, J.-P.; Tejedor, L. A.; Toussenel, F.; Vasileiadis, G.; Voisin, V.; Waegebert, V.; Zurbach, C.

2014-07-01

NectarCAM is a camera designed for the medium-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) covering the central energy range 100 GeV to 30 TeV. It has a modular design based on the NECTAr chip, at the heart of which is a GHz sampling Switched Capacitor Array and 12-bit Analog to Digital converter. The camera will be equipped with 265 7-photomultiplier modules, covering a field of view of 7 to 8 degrees. Each module includes the photomultiplier bases, High Voltage supply, pre-amplifier, trigger, readout and Thernet transceiver. Events recorded last between a few nanoseconds and tens of nanoseconds. A flexible trigger scheme allows to read out very long events. NectarCAM can sustain a data rate of 10 kHz. The camera concept, the design and tests of the various subcomponents and results of thermal and electrical prototypes are presented. The design includes the mechanical structure, the cooling of electronics, read-out, clock distribution, slow control, data-acquisition, trigger, monitoring and services. A 133-pixel prototype with full scale mechanics, cooling, data acquisition and slow control will be built at the end of 2014.

Fully Integrated Low-Noise Readout Circuit with Automatic Offset Cancellation Loop for Capacitive Microsensors

PubMed Central

Song, Haryong; Park, Yunjong; Kim, Hyungseup; Cho, Dong-il Dan; Ko, Hyoungho

2015-01-01

Capacitive sensing schemes are widely used for various microsensors; however, such microsensors suffer from severe parasitic capacitance problems. This paper presents a fully integrated low-noise readout circuit with automatic offset cancellation loop (AOCL) for capacitive microsensors. The output offsets of the capacitive sensing chain due to the parasitic capacitances and process variations are automatically removed using AOCL. The AOCL generates electrically equivalent offset capacitance and enables charge-domain fine calibration using a 10-bit R-2R digital-to-analog converter, charge-transfer switches, and a charge-storing capacitor. The AOCL cancels the unwanted offset by binary-search algorithm based on 10-bit successive approximation register (SAR) logic. The chip is implemented using 0.18 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process with an active area of 1.76 mm2. The power consumption is 220 μW with 3.3 V supply. The input parasitic capacitances within the range of −250 fF to 250 fF can be cancelled out automatically, and the required calibration time is lower than 10 ms. PMID:26473877

JFET front-end circuits integrated in a detector-grade silicon substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manghisoni, M.; Ratti, L.; Re, V.; Speziali, V.; Traversi, G.; Dalla Betta, G. F.; Boscardin, M.; Batignani, G.; Giorgi, M.; Bosisio, L.

2003-08-01

This paper presents the design and experimental results relevant to front-end circuits integrated on detector-grade high resistivity silicon. The fabrication technology is made available by the Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (ITC-IRST), Trento, Italy and allows using a common substrate for different kinds of active devices, such as N-channel JFETs and MOSFETs, and for pixel, microstrip, and PIN detectors. This research activity is being carried out in the framework of a project aiming at the fabrication of a multichannel mixed analog-digital chip for the readout of solid-state detectors integrated in the same substrate. Possible applications are in the field of medical and industrial imaging and space and high energy physics experiments. An all-JFET charge sensitive amplifier, which can use either a resistive or a nonresistive feedback network, has been characterized. The two configurations have been compared to each other, paying particular attention to noise performances, in view of the design of the complete readout channel. Operation capability in harsh radiation environment has been evaluated through exposure to /spl gamma/-rays from a /sup 60/Co source.

Toward a Reduced-Wire Readout System for Ultrasound Imaging

PubMed Central

Lim, Jaemyung; Arkan, Evren F.; Degertekin, F. Levent; Ghovanloo, Maysam

2015-01-01

We present a system-on-a-chip (SoC) for use in high-frequency capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) imaging systems. This SoC consists of trans-impedance amplifiers (TIA), delay locked loop (DLL) based clock multiplier, quadrature sampler, and pulse width modulator (PWM). The SoC down converts RF echo signal to baseband by quadrature sampling which facilitates modulation. To send data through a 1.6 m wire in the catheter which has limited bandwidth and is vulnerable to noise, the SoC creates a pseudo-digital PWM signal which can be used for back telemetry or wireless readout of the RF data. In this implementation, using a 0.35-μm std. CMOS process, the TIA and single-to-differential (STD) converter had 45 MHz bandwidth, the quadrature sampler had 10.1 dB conversion gain, and the PWM had 5-bit ENoB. Preliminary results verified front-end functionality, and the power consumption of a TIA, STD, quadrature sampler, PWM, and clock multiplier was 26 mW from a 3 V supply. PMID:25571135

The single mirror small sized telescope for the Cherenkov telescope array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heller, M.; Schioppa, E., Jr.; Porcelli, A.; Pujadas, I. Troyano; Ziętara, K.; Della Volpe, D.; Montaruli, T.; Cadoux, F.; Favre, Y.; Aguilar, J. A.; Christov, A.; Prandini, E.; Rajda, P.; Rameez, M.; Bilnik, W.; Błocki, J.; Bogacz, L.; Borkowski, J.; Bulik, T.; Frankowski, A.; Grudzińska, M.; Idźkowski, B.; Jamrozy, M.; Janiak, M.; Kasperek, J.; Lalik, K.; Lyard, E.; Mach, E.; Mandat, D.; Marszałek, A.; Miranda, L. D. Medina; Michałowski, J.; Moderski, R.; Neronov, A.; Niemiec, J.; Ostrowski, M.; Paśko, P.; Pech, M.; Schovanek, P.; Seweryn, K.; Sliusar, V.; Skowron, K.; Stawarz, Ł.; Stodulska, M.; Stodulski, M.; Walter, R.; Więcek, M.; Zagdański, A.; CTA Consortium

2017-01-01

The Small Size Telescope with Single Mirror (SST-1M) is one of the proposed types of Small Size Telescopes (SST) for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). About 70 SST telescopes will be part the CTA southern array which will also include Medium Sized Telescopes (MST) in its threshold configuration. Optimized for the detection of gamma rays in the energy range from 5 TeV to 300 TeV, the SST-1M uses a Davies-Cotton optics with a 4 m dish diameter with a field of view of 9°. The Cherenkov light resulting from the interaction of the gamma-rays in the atmosphere is focused onto a 88 cm side-to-side hexagonal photo-detection plane. The latter is composed of 1296 hollow light guides coupled to large area hexagonal silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). The SiPM readout is fully digital readout as for the trigger system. The compact and lightweight design of the SST-1M camera offiers very high performance ideal for gamma-ray observation requirement. In this contribution, the concept, design, performance and status of the first telescope prototype are presented.

NaNet3: The on-shore readout and slow-control board for the KM3NeT-Italia underwater neutrino telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammendola, R.; Biagioni, A.; Frezza, O.; Lo Cicero, F.; Martinelli, M.; Paolucci, P. S.; Pontisso, L.; Simula, F.; Vicini, P.; Ameli, F.; Nicolau, C. A.; Pastorelli, E.; Simeone, F.; Tosoratto, L.; Lonardo, A.

2016-04-01

The KM3NeT-Italia underwater neutrino detection unit, the tower, consists of 14 floors. Each floor supports 6 Optical Modules containing front-end electronics needed to digitize the PMT signal, format and transmit the data and 2 hydrophones that reconstruct in real-time the position of Optical Modules, for a maximum tower throughput of more than 600 MB/s. All floor data are collected by the Floor Control Module (FCM) board and transmitted by optical bidirectional virtual point-to-point connections to the on-shore laboratory, each FCM needing an on-shore counterpart as communication endpoint. In this contribution we present NaNet3, an on-shore readout board based on Altera Stratix V GX FPGA able to manage multiple FCM data channels with a capability of 800 Mbps each. The design is a NaNet customization for the KM3NeT-Italia experiment, adding support in its I/O interface for a synchronous link protocol with deterministic latency at physical level and for a Time Division Multiplexing protocol at data level.

ATLAS Tile calorimeter calibration and monitoring systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chomont, Arthur; ATLAS Collaboration

2017-11-01

The ATLAS Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is the central section of the hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment and provides important information for reconstruction of hadrons, jets, hadronic decays of tau leptons and missing transverse energy. This sampling calorimeter uses steel plates as absorber and scintillating tiles as active medium. The light produced by the passage of charged particles is transmitted by wavelength shifting fibres to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), located on the outside of the calorimeter. The readout is segmented into about 5000 cells (longitudinally and transversally), each of them being read out by two PMTs in parallel. To calibrate and monitor the stability and performance of each part of the readout chain during the data taking, a set of calibration systems is used. The TileCal calibration system comprises cesium radioactive sources, Laser and charge injection elements, and allows for monitoring and equalization of the calorimeter response at each stage of the signal production, from scintillation light to digitization. Based on LHC Run 1 experience, several calibration systems were improved for Run 2. The lessons learned, the modifications, and the current LHC Run 2 performance are discussed.

Evaluation of Multi-Channel ADCs for Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Hui; Hennig, Wolfgang; Walby, Mark D.; Breus, Dimitry; Harris, Jackson

2013-04-01

As nuclear physicists increasingly design large scale experiments with hundreds or thousands of detector channels, there are growing needs for high density readout electronics with good timing and energy resolution that at the same time offer lower cost per channel compared to existing commercial solutions. Recent improvements in the design of commercial analog to digital converters (ADCs) have resulted in a variety of multi-channel ADCs that are natural choice for designing such high density readout modules. However, multi-channel ADCs typically are designed for medical imaging/ultrasound applications and therefore are not rated for their spectroscopic characteristics. In this work, we evaluated the gamma-ray spectroscopic performance of several multi-channel ADCs, including their energy resolution, nonlinearity, and timing resolution. Some of these ADCs demonstrated excellent energy resolution, 2.66% FWHM at 662 keV with a LaBr3 or 1.78 keV FWHM at 1332.5 keV with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and sub-nanosecond timing resolution with LaBr 3. We present results from these measurements to illustrate their suitability for gamma-ray spectroscopy.

Monolithic pixel development in TowerJazz 180 nm CMOS for the outer pixel layers in the ATLAS experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berdalovic, I.; Bates, R.; Buttar, C.; Cardella, R.; Egidos Plaja, N.; Hemperek, T.; Hiti, B.; van Hoorne, J. W.; Kugathasan, T.; Mandic, I.; Maneuski, D.; Marin Tobon, C. A.; Moustakas, K.; Musa, L.; Pernegger, H.; Riedler, P.; Riegel, C.; Schaefer, D.; Schioppa, E. J.; Sharma, A.; Snoeys, W.; Solans Sanchez, C.; Wang, T.; Wermes, N.

2018-01-01

The upgrade of the ATLAS tracking detector (ITk) for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider at CERN requires the development of novel radiation hard silicon sensor technologies. Latest developments in CMOS sensor processing offer the possibility of combining high-resistivity substrates with on-chip high-voltage biasing to achieve a large depleted active sensor volume. We have characterised depleted monolithic active pixel sensors (DMAPS), which were produced in a novel modified imaging process implemented in the TowerJazz 180 nm CMOS process in the framework of the monolithic sensor development for the ALICE experiment. Sensors fabricated in this modified process feature full depletion of the sensitive layer, a sensor capacitance of only a few fF and radiation tolerance up to 1015 neq/cm2. This paper summarises the measurements of charge collection properties in beam tests and in the laboratory using radioactive sources and edge TCT. The results of these measurements show significantly improved radiation hardness obtained for sensors manufactured using the modified process. This has opened the way to the design of two large scale demonstrators for the ATLAS ITk. To achieve a design compatible with the requirements of the outer pixel layers of the tracker, a charge sensitive front-end taking 500 nA from a 1.8 V supply is combined with a fast digital readout architecture. The low-power front-end with a 25 ns time resolution exploits the low sensor capacitance to reduce noise and analogue power, while the implemented readout architectures minimise power by reducing the digital activity.

Digitally controlled high-performance dc SQUID readout electronics for a 304-channel vector magnetometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bechstein, S.; Petsche, F.; Scheiner, M.; Drung, D.; Thiel, F.; Schnabel, A.; Schurig, Th

2006-06-01

Recently, we have developed a family of dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) readout electronics for several applications. These electronics comprise a low-noise preamplifier followed by an integrator, and an analog SQUID bias circuit. A highly-compact low-power version with a flux-locked loop bandwidth of 0.3 MHz and a white noise level of 1 nV/√Hz was specially designed for a 304-channel low-Tc dc SQUID vector magnetometer, intended to operate in the new Berlin Magnetically Shielded Room (BMSR-2). In order to minimize the space needed to mount the electronics on top of the dewar and to minimize the power consumption, we have integrated four electronics channels on one 3 cm × 10 cm sized board. Furthermore we embedded the analog components of these four channels into a digitally controlled system including an in-system programmable microcontroller. Four of these integrated boards were combined to one module with a size of 4 cm × 4 cm × 16 cm. 19 of these modules were implemented, resulting in a total power consumption of about 61 W. To initialize the 304 channels and to service the system we have developed software tools running on a laptop computer. By means of these software tools the microcontrollers are fed with all required data such as the working points, the characteristic parameters of the sensors (noise, voltage swing), or the sensor position inside of the vector magnetometer system. In this paper, the developed electronics including the software tools are described, and first results are presented.

Spectrum synthesis for a spectrally tunable light source based on a DMD-convex grating Offner configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Suodong; Pan, Qiao; Shen, Weimin

2016-09-01

As one kind of light source simulation devices, spectrally tunable light sources are able to generate specific spectral shape and radiant intensity outputs according to different application requirements, which have urgent demands in many fields of the national economy and the national defense industry. Compared with the LED-type spectrally tunable light source, the one based on a DMD-convex grating Offner configuration has advantages of high spectral resolution, strong digital controllability, high spectrum synthesis accuracy, etc. As a key link of the above type light source to achieve target spectrum outputs, spectrum synthesis algorithm based on spectrum matching is therefore very important. An improved spectrum synthesis algorithm based on linear least square initialization and Levenberg-Marquardt iterative optimization is proposed in this paper on the basis of in-depth study of the spectrum matching principle. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by a series of simulations and experimental works.

An Architecture for Measuring Joint Angles Using a Long Period Fiber Grating-Based Sensor

PubMed Central

Perez-Ramirez, Carlos A.; Almanza-Ojeda, Dora L.; Guerrero-Tavares, Jesus N.; Mendoza-Galindo, Francisco J.; Estudillo-Ayala, Julian M.; Ibarra-Manzano, Mario A.

2014-01-01

The implementation of signal filters in a real-time form requires a tradeoff between computation resources and the system performance. Therefore, taking advantage of low lag response and the reduced consumption of resources, in this article, the Recursive Least Square (RLS) algorithm is used to filter a signal acquired from a fiber-optics-based sensor. In particular, a Long-Period Fiber Grating (LPFG) sensor is used to measure the bending movement of a finger. After that, the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) technique allows us to classify the corresponding finger position along the motion range. For these measures to help in the development of an autonomous robotic hand, the proposed technique can be straightforwardly implemented on real time platforms such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Digital Signal Processors (DSP). Different angle measurements of the finger's motion are carried out by the prototype and a detailed analysis of the system performance is presented. PMID:25536002

Instrument for Real-Time Digital Nucleic Acid Amplification on Custom Microfluidic Devices

PubMed Central

Selck, David A.

2016-01-01

Nucleic acid amplification tests that are coupled with a digital readout enable the absolute quantification of single molecules, even at ultralow concentrations. Digital methods are robust, versatile and compatible with many amplification chemistries including isothermal amplification, making them particularly invaluable to assays that require sensitive detection, such as the quantification of viral load in occult infections or detection of sparse amounts of DNA from forensic samples. A number of microfluidic platforms are being developed for carrying out digital amplification. However, the mechanistic investigation and optimization of digital assays has been limited by the lack of real-time kinetic information about which factors affect the digital efficiency and analytical sensitivity of a reaction. Commercially available instruments that are capable of tracking digital reactions in real-time are restricted to only a small number of device types and sample-preparation strategies. Thus, most researchers who wish to develop, study, or optimize digital assays rely on the rate of the amplification reaction when performed in a bulk experiment, which is now recognized as an unreliable predictor of digital efficiency. To expand our ability to study how digital reactions proceed in real-time and enable us to optimize both the digital efficiency and analytical sensitivity of digital assays, we built a custom large-format digital real-time amplification instrument that can accommodate a wide variety of devices, amplification chemistries and sample-handling conditions. Herein, we validate this instrument, we provide detailed schematics that will enable others to build their own custom instruments, and we include a complete custom software suite to collect and analyze the data retrieved from the instrument. We believe assay optimizations enabled by this instrument will improve the current limits of nucleic acid detection and quantification, improving our fundamental understanding of single-molecule reactions and providing advancements in practical applications such as medical diagnostics, forensics and environmental sampling. PMID:27760148

Superconductor Digital Electronics: -- Current Status, Future Prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukhanov, Oleg

2011-03-01

Two major applications of superconductor electronics: communications and supercomputing will be presented. These areas hold a significant promise of a large impact on electronics state-of-the-art for the defense and commercial markets stemming from the fundamental advantages of superconductivity: simultaneous high speed and low power, lossless interconnect, natural quantization, and high sensitivity. The availability of relatively small cryocoolers lowered the foremost market barrier for cryogenically-cooled superconductor electronic systems. These fundamental advantages enabled a novel Digital-RF architecture - a disruptive technological approach changing wireless communications, radar, and surveillance system architectures dramatically. Practical results were achieved for Digital-RF systems in which wide-band, multi-band radio frequency signals are directly digitized and digital domain is expanded throughout the entire system. Digital-RF systems combine digital and mixed signal integrated circuits based on Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) technology, superconductor analog filter circuits, and semiconductor post-processing circuits. The demonstrated cryocooled Digital-RF systems are the world's first and fastest directly digitizing receivers operating with live satellite signals, enabling multi-net data links, and performing signal acquisition from HF to L-band with 30 GHz clock frequencies. In supercomputing, superconductivity leads to the highest energy efficiencies per operation. Superconductor technology based on manipulation and ballistic transfer of magnetic flux quanta provides a superior low-power alternative to CMOS and other charge-transfer based device technologies. The fundamental energy consumption in SFQ circuits defined by flux quanta energy 2 x 10-19 J. Recently, a novel energy-efficient zero-static-power SFQ technology, eSFQ/ERSFQ was invented, which retains all advantages of standard RSFQ circuits: high-speed, dc power, internal memory. The voltage bias regulation, determined by SFQ clock, enables the zero-power at zero-activity regimes, indispensable for sensor and quantum bit readout.

Design and evaluation of a SiPM-based large-area detector module for positron emission imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alva-Sánchez, H.; Murrieta-Rodríguez, T.; Calva-Coraza, E.; Martínez-Dávalos, A.; Rodríguez-Villafuerte, M.

2018-03-01

The design and evaluation of a large-area detector module for positron emission imaging applications, is presented. The module features a SensL ArrayC-60035-64P-PCB solid state detector (8×8 array of tileable silicon photomultipliers by SensL, 7.2 mm pitch) covering a total area of 57.4×57.4 mm2. The detector module was formed using a pixelated array of 40×40 lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) scintillator crystal elements with 1.43 mm pitch. A 7 mm thick coupling light guide was used to allow light sharing between adjacent SiPM. A 16-channel symmetric charge division (SCD) readout board was designed to multiplex the number of signals from 64 to 16 (8 columns and 8 rows) and a center-of-gravity algorithm to identify the position. Data acquisition and digitization was accomplished using a custom-made system based on FPGAs boards. Crystal maps were obtained using 18F-positron sources and Voronoi diagrams were used to correct for geometric distortions and to generate a non-uniformity correction matrix. All measurements were taken at a controlled room temperature of 22oC. The crystal maps showed minor distortion, 90% of the 1600 total crystal elements could be identified, a mean peak-to-valley ratio of 4.3 was obtained and a 10.8% mean energy resolution for 511 keV annihilation photons was determined. The performance of the detector using our own readout board was compared to that using two different commercially readout boards using the same detector module arrangement. We show that these large-area SiPM arrays, combined with a 16-channel SCD readout board, can offer high spatial resolution, excellent energy resolution and detector uniformity and thus, can be used for positron emission imaging applications.

Digital X-ray portable scanner based on monolithic semi-insulating GaAs detectors: General description and first “quantum” images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubecký, F.; Perd'ochová, A.; Ščepko, P.; Zat'ko, B.; Sekerka, V.; Nečas, V.; Sekáčová, M.; Hudec, M.; Boháček, P.; Huran, J.

2005-07-01

The present work describes a portable digital X-ray scanner based on bulk undoped semi-insulating (SI) GaAs monolithic strip line detectors. The scanner operates in "quantum" imaging mode ("single photon counting"), with potential improvement of the dynamic range in contrast of the observed X-ray images. The "heart" of the scanner (detection unit) is based on SI GaAs strip line detectors. The measured detection efficiency of the SI GaAs detector reached a value of over 60 % (compared to the theoretical one of ˜75 %) for the detection of 60 keV photons at a reverse bias of 200 V. The read-out electronics consists of 20 modules fabricated using a progressive SMD technology with automatic assembly of electronic devices. Signals from counters included in the digital parts of the modules are collected in a PC via a USB port and evaluated by custom developed software allowing X-ray image reconstruction. The collected data were used for the creation of the first X-ray "quantum" images of various test objects using the imaging software developed.

Investigation of Self Triggered Cosmic Ray Detectors using Silicon Photomultiplier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knox, Adrian; Niduaza, Rommel; Hernandez, Victor; Ruiz, Daniel; Ramos, Daniel; Fan, Sewan; Fatuzzo, Laura; Ritt, Stefan

2015-04-01

The silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is a highly sensitive light detector capable of measuring single photons. It costs a fraction of the photomultiplier tube and operates slightly above the breakdown voltage. At this conference we describe our investigation of SiPM, the multipixel photon counters (MPPC) from Hamamatsu as readout detectors for plastic scintillators working for detecting cosmic ray particles. Our setup consists of scintillator sheets embedded with blue to green wavelength shifting fibers optically coupled to MPPCs to detect scintillating light. Four detector assemblies would be constructed and arranged to work in self triggered mode. Using custom matching tee boxes, the amplified MPPC signals are fed to discriminators with threshold set to give a reasonable coincidence count rate. Moreover, the detector waveforms are digitized using a 5 Giga Samples per second waveform digitizer, the DRS4, and triggered with the coincidence logic to capture the MPPC waveforms. Offline analysis of the digitized waveforms is accomplished using the CERN package PAW and results of our experiments and the data analysis would also be discussed. US Department of Education Title V Grant Number PO31S090007.

Development of the tongue coating analyzer based on concave grating monochrometer and virtual instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Zhong; Liu, Guodong; Zeng, Lvming; Huang, Zhen; Zeng, Wenping

2010-10-01

The tongue coating diagnosis is an important part in tongue diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).The change of the thickness and color of the tongue coating can reflect the pathological state for the patient. By observing the tongue coating, a Chinese doctor can determine the nature or severity of disease. Because some limitations existed in the tongue diagnosis method of TCM and the method based on the digital image processing, a novel tongue coating analyzer(TCA) based on the concave grating monochrometer and virtual instrument is developed in this paper. This analyzer consists of the light source system, check cavity, optical fiber probe, concave grating monochrometer, spectrum detector system based on CCD and data acquisition (DAQ) card, signal processing circuit system, computer and data analysis software based on LabVIEW, etc. Experimental results show that the novel TCA's spectral range can reach 300-1000 nm, its wavelength resolution can reach 1nm, and this TCA uses the back-split-light technology and multi-channel parallel analysis. Compared with the TCA based on the image processing technology, this TCA has many advantages, such as, compact volume, simpler algorithm, faster processing speed, higher accuracy, cheaper cost and real-time handle data and display the result, etc. Therefore, it has the greatly potential values in the fields of the tongue coating diagnosis for TCM.

Research on phase locked loop in optical memory servo system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Liqin; Ma, Jianshe; Zhang, Jianyong; Pan, Longfa; Deng, Ming

2005-09-01

Phase locked loop (PLL) is a closed loop automatic control system, which can track the phase of input signal. It widely applies in each area of electronic technology. This paper research the phase locked loop in optical memory servo area. This paper introduces the configuration of digital phase locked loop (PLL) and phase locked servo system, the control theory, and analyses system's stability. It constructs the phase locked loop experiment system of optical disk spindle servo, which based on special chip. DC motor is main object, this system adopted phase locked servo technique and digital signal processor (DSP) to achieve constant linear velocity (CLV) in controlling optical spindle motor. This paper analyses the factors that affect the stability of phase locked loop in spindle servo system, and discusses the affection to the optical disk readout signal and jitter due to the stability of phase locked loop.

Optimization of Energy Resolution in the Digital Hadron Calorimeter using Longitudinal Weights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, J. R.; Bilki, B.; Francis, K.; Repond, J.; Schlereth, J.; Xia, L.

2013-04-01

Physics at a future lepton collider requires unprecedented jet energy and dijet mass resolutions. Particle Flow Algorithms (PFAs) have been proposed to achieve these. PFAs measure particles in a jet individually with the detector subsystem providing the best resolution. For this to work a calorimeter system with very high granularity is required. A prototype Digital Hadron Calorimeter (the DHCAL) based on the Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) technology with a record count of readout channels has been developed, constructed, and exposed to particle beams. In this context, we report on a technique to improve the single hadron energy resolution by applying a set of calibration weights to the individual layers of the calorimeter. This weighting procedure was applied to approximately 1 million events in the energy range up to 60 GeV and shows an improvement in the pion energy resolution. Simulated data is used to verify particle identification techniques and to compare with the data.

Integration of the GET electronics for the CHIMERA and FARCOS devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Filippo, E.; Acosta, L.; Auditore, L.; Boiano, C.; Cardella, G.; Castoldi, A.; D’Andrea, M.; De Luca, S.; Favela, F.; Fichera, F.; Giudice, N.; Gnoffo, B.; Grimaldi, A.; Guazzoni, C.; Lanzalone, G.; Librizzi, F.; Litrico, P.; Maiolino, C.; Maffesanti, S.; Martorana, NS; Pagano, A.; Pagano, EV; Papa, M.; Parsani, T.; Passaro, G.; Pirrone, S.; Politi, G.; Previdi, F.; Quattrocchi, L.; Rizzo, F.; Russotto, P.; Saccà, G.; Salemi, G.; Sciliberto, D.; Trifirò, A.; Trimarchi, M.

2018-05-01

A new front-end based on digital GET electronics has been adopted for the readout of the CsI(Tl) detectors of the CHIMERA 4π multi-detector and for the new modular Femtoscopy Array for Correlation and Spectroscopy (FARCOS). It is expected that the coupling of CHIMERA with the FARCOS array, featuring high angular and energy resolution, and the adoption of the new digital electronics will be well suited for improving specific future data analysis, with the full shape storage of the signals, in the field of heavy ion reactions with stable and exotic beams around the Fermi energies domain. Integration of the GET electronics with CHIMERA and FARCOS devices and with the local analog data acquisition will be briefly discussed. We present some results from previous experimental tests and from the first in-beam experiment (Hoyle-Gamma) with the coupled GET+CHIMERA data acquisition.

Digital antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the MilliDrop technology.

PubMed

Jiang, L; Boitard, L; Broyer, P; Chareire, A-C; Bourne-Branchu, P; Mahé, P; Tournoud, M; Franceschi, C; Zambardi, G; Baudry, J; Bibette, J

2016-03-01

We present the MilliDrop Analyzer (MDA), a droplet-based millifluidic system for digital antimicrobial susceptibility testing (D-AST), which enables us to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) precisely and accurately. The MilliDrop technology was validated by using resazurin for fluorescence readout, for comparison with standard methodology, and for conducting reproducibility studies. In this first assessment, the susceptibility of a reference Gram-negative strain Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 to gentamicin, chloramphenicol, and nalidixic acid were tested by the MDA, VITEK®2, and broth microdilution as a reference standard. We measured the susceptibility of clinically relevant Gram-positive strains of Staphylococcus aureus to vancomycin, including vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (hVISA), and vancomycin-susceptible S. aureus (VSSA) strains. The MDA provided results which were much more accurate than those of VITEK®2 and standard broth microdilution. The enhanced accuracy enabled us to reliably discriminate between VSSA and hVISA strains.

The DIRC front-end electronics chain for BaBar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailly, P.; Beigbeder, C.; Bernier, R.; Breton, D.; Bonneaud, G.; Caceres, T.; Chase, R.; Chauveau, J.; Del Buono, L.; Dohou, F.; Ducorps, A.; Gastaldi, F.; Genat, J. F.; Hrisoho, A.; Imbert, P.; Lebbolo, H.; Matricon, P.; Oxoby, G.; Renard, C.; Roos, L.; Sen, S.; Thiebaux, C.; Truong, K.; Tocut, V.; Vasileiadis, G.; Va'Vra, J.; Verderi, M.; Warner, D.; Wilson, R. J.; Wormser, G.; Zhang, B.; Zomer, F.

2000-12-01

Recent results from the Front-End electronics of the Detector of Internally Reflected Cerenkov light (DIRC) for the BaBar experiment at SLAC (Stanford, USA) are presented. It measures to better than 1 ns the arrival time of Cerenkov photoelectrons detected in a 11000 phototubes array and their amplitude spectra. It mainly comprises 64-channel DIRC Front-End Boards (DFB) equipped with eight full-custom analog chips performing zero-cross discrimination with 2 mV threshold and pulse shaping, four full-custom digital time to digital chips (TDC) for timing measurements with 500 ps binning and a readout logic selecting hits in the trigger window, and DIRC Crate Controller cards (DCC) serializing the data collected front up to 16 DFBs onto a 1.2 Gb/s optical link. Extensive test results of the pre-production chips are presented, as well as system tests.

IOTA: the array controller for a gigapixel OTCCD camera for Pan-STARRS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onaka, Peter; Tonry, John; Luppino, Gerard; Lockhart, Charles; Lee, Aaron; Ching, Gregory; Isani, Sidik; Uyeshiro, Robin

2004-09-01

The PanSTARRS project has undertaken an ambitious effort to develop a completely new array controller architecture that is fundamentally driven by the large 1gigapixel, low noise, high speed OTCCD mosaic requirements as well as the size, power and weight restrictions of the PanSTARRS telescope. The result is a very small form factor next generation controller scalar building block with 1 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces that will be assembled into a system that will readout 512 outputs at ~1 Megapixel sample rates on each output. The paper will also discuss critical technology and fabrication techniques such as greater than 1MHz analog to digital converters (ADCs), multiple fast sampling and digital calculation of multiple correlated samples (DMCS), ball grid array (BGA) packaged circuits, LINUX running on embedded field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) with hard core microprocessors for the prototype currently being developed.

Design of 90×8 ROIC with pixel level digital TDI implementation for scanning type LWIR FPAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceylan, Omer; Kayahan, Huseyin; Yazici, Melik; Gurbuz, Yasar

2013-06-01

Design of a 90×8 CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC) based on pixel level digital time delay integration (TDI) for scanning type LWIR focal plane arrays (FPAs) is presented. TDI is implemented on 8 pixels which improves the SNR of the system with a factor of √8. Oversampling rate of 3 improves the spatial resolution of the system. TDI operation is realized with a novel under-pixel analog-to-digital converter, which improves the noise performance of ROIC with a lower quantization noise. Since analog signal is converted to digital domain in-pixel, non-uniformities and inaccuracies due to analog signal routing over large chip area is eliminated. Contributions of each pixel for proper TDI operation are added in summation counters, no op-amps are used for summation, hence power consumption of ROIC is lower than its analog counterparts. Due to lack of multiple capacitors or summation amplifiers, ROIC occupies smaller chip area compared to its analog counterparts. ROIC is also superior to its digital counterparts due to novel digital TDI implementation in terms of power consumption, noise and chip area. ROIC supports bi-directional scan, multiple gain settings, bypass operation, automatic gain adjustment, pixel select/deselect, and is programmable through serial or parallel interface. Input referred noise of ROIC is less than 750 rms electrons, while power consumption is less than 20mW. ROIC is designed to perform both in room and cryogenic temperatures.

Digital isothermal quantification of nucleic acids via simultaneous chemical initiation of recombinase polymerase amplification reactions on SlipChip.

PubMed

Shen, Feng; Davydova, Elena K; Du, Wenbin; Kreutz, Jason E; Piepenburg, Olaf; Ismagilov, Rustem F

2011-05-01

In this paper, digital quantitative detection of nucleic acids was achieved at the single-molecule level by chemical initiation of over one thousand sequence-specific, nanoliter isothermal amplification reactions in parallel. Digital polymerase chain reaction (digital PCR), a method used for quantification of nucleic acids, counts the presence or absence of amplification of individual molecules. However, it still requires temperature cycling, which is undesirable under resource-limited conditions. This makes isothermal methods for nucleic acid amplification, such as recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), more attractive. A microfluidic digital RPA SlipChip is described here for simultaneous initiation of over one thousand nL-scale RPA reactions by adding a chemical initiator to each reaction compartment with a simple slipping step after instrument-free pipet loading. Two designs of the SlipChip, two-step slipping and one-step slipping, were validated using digital RPA. By using the digital RPA SlipChip, false-positive results from preinitiation of the RPA amplification reaction before incubation were eliminated. End point fluorescence readout was used for "yes or no" digital quantification. The performance of digital RPA in a SlipChip was validated by amplifying and counting single molecules of the target nucleic acid, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) genomic DNA. The digital RPA on SlipChip was also tolerant to fluctuations of the incubation temperature (37-42 °C), and its performance was comparable to digital PCR on the same SlipChip design. The digital RPA SlipChip provides a simple method to quantify nucleic acids without requiring thermal cycling or kinetic measurements, with potential applications in diagnostics and environmental monitoring under resource-limited settings. The ability to initiate thousands of chemical reactions in parallel on the nanoliter scale using solvent-resistant glass devices is likely to be useful for a broader range of applications.

Digital Isothermal Quantification of Nucleic Acids via Simultaneous Chemical Initiation of Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Reactions on SlipChip

PubMed Central

Shen, Feng; Davydova, Elena K.; Du, Wenbin; Kreutz, Jason E.; Piepenburg, Olaf; Ismagilov, Rustem F.

2011-01-01

In this paper, digital quantitative detection of nucleic acids was achieved at the single-molecule level by chemical initiation of over one thousand sequence-specific, nanoliter, isothermal amplification reactions in parallel. Digital polymerase chain reaction (digital PCR), a method used for quantification of nucleic acids, counts the presence or absence of amplification of individual molecules. However it still requires temperature cycling, which is undesirable under resource-limited conditions. This makes isothermal methods for nucleic acid amplification, such as recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), more attractive. A microfluidic digital RPA SlipChip is described here for simultaneous initiation of over one thousand nL-scale RPA reactions by adding a chemical initiator to each reaction compartment with a simple slipping step after instrument-free pipette loading. Two designs of the SlipChip, two-step slipping and one-step slipping, were validated using digital RPA. By using the digital RPA SlipChip, false positive results from pre-initiation of the RPA amplification reaction before incubation were eliminated. End-point fluorescence readout was used for “yes or no” digital quantification. The performance of digital RPA in a SlipChip was validated by amplifying and counting single molecules of the target nucleic acid, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) genomic DNA. The digital RPA on SlipChip was also tolerant to fluctuations of the incubation temperature (37–42 °C), and its performance was comparable to digital PCR on the same SlipChip design. The digital RPA SlipChip provides a simple method to quantify nucleic acids without requiring thermal cycling or kinetic measurements, with potential applications in diagnostics and environmental monitoring under resource-limited settings. The ability to initiate thousands of chemical reactions in parallel on the nanoliter scale using solvent-resistant glass devices is likely to be useful for a broader range of applications. PMID:21476587

Using a pulsed laser beam to investigate the feasibility of sub-pixel position resolution with time-correlated transient signals in 3D pixelated CdZnTe detectors

DOE PAGES

Giraldo, L. Ocampo; Bolotnikov, A. E.; Camarda, G. S.; ...

2017-04-20

For this study, we evaluated the X-Y position resolution achievable in 3D pixelated detectors by processing the signal waveforms readout from neighboring pixels. In these measurements we used a focused light beam, down to 10 μm, generated by a ~1 mW pulsed laser (650 nm) to carry out raster scans over selected 3×3 pixel areas, while recording the charge signals from the 9 pixels and the cathode using two synchronized digital oscilloscopes.

Performance of generation III 640 X 480 PtSi MOS array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villani, Thomas S.; Esposito, Benjamin J.; Pletcher, T. J.; Sauer, Donald J.; Levine, Peter A.; Shallcross, Frank V.; Meray, Grazyna M.; Tower, John R.

1994-07-01

The design and performance of a third generation 640(H) X 480(V) PtSi focal plane array is presented. The 3 to 5 micron MWIR focal plane array supports interlaced, progressive scan, and subframe readout under control of on-chip digital decoders. The new design utilizes 1.25 micrometers design rules to achieve a 50% fill-factor, a noise equivalent delta temperature of <0.07 C (f/1.5, 30 Hz, 300 K), and a saturation level >1.5 X 10(superscript 6)e. The power dissipation is less than 110 mW.

Development of CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensors for Low Cost Commercial Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gee, R.; Kemeny, S.; Kim, Q.; Mendis, S.; Nakamura, J.; Nixon, R.; Ortiz, M.; Pain, B.; Staller, C.; Zhou, Z;

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choong, W. -S.; Abu-Nimeh, F.; Moses, W. W.

Here, we present a 16-channel front-end readout board for the OpenPET electronics system. A major task in developing a nuclear medical imaging system, such as a positron emission computed tomograph (PET) or a single-photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT), is the electronics system. While there are a wide variety of detector and camera design concepts, the relatively simple nature of the acquired data allows for a common set of electronics requirements that can be met by a flexible, scalable, and high-performance OpenPET electronics system. The analog signals from the different types of detectors used in medical imaging share similar characteristics, whichmore » allows for a common analog signal processing. The OpenPET electronics processes the analog signals with Detector Boards. Here we report on the development of a 16-channel Detector Board. Each signal is digitized by a continuously sampled analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which is processed by a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to extract pulse height information. A leading edge discriminator creates a timing edge that is "time stamped" by a time-to-digital converter (TDC) implemented inside the FPGA. In conclusion, this digital information from each channel is sent to an FPGA that services 16 analog channels, and then information from multiple channels is processed by this FPGA to perform logic for crystal lookup, DOI calculation, calibration, etc.« less

High-performance dual-speed CCD camera system for scientific imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, Raymond W.

1996-03-01

Traditionally, scientific camera systems were partitioned with a `camera head' containing the CCD and its support circuitry and a camera controller, which provided analog to digital conversion, timing, control, computer interfacing, and power. A new, unitized high performance scientific CCD camera with dual speed readout at 1 X 106 or 5 X 106 pixels per second, 12 bit digital gray scale, high performance thermoelectric cooling, and built in composite video output is described. This camera provides all digital, analog, and cooling functions in a single compact unit. The new system incorporates the A/C converter, timing, control and computer interfacing in the camera, with the power supply remaining a separate remote unit. A 100 Mbyte/second serial link transfers data over copper or fiber media to a variety of host computers, including Sun, SGI, SCSI, PCI, EISA, and Apple Macintosh. Having all the digital and analog functions in the camera made it possible to modify this system for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for use on a remote controlled submersible vehicle. The oceanographic version achieves 16 bit dynamic range at 1.5 X 105 pixels/second, can be operated at depths of 3 kilometers, and transfers data to the surface via a real time fiber optic link.

Proton tracking in a high-granularity Digital Tracking Calorimeter for proton CT purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pettersen, H. E. S.; Alme, J.; Biegun, A.; van den Brink, A.; Chaar, M.; Fehlker, D.; Meric, I.; Odland, O. H.; Peitzmann, T.; Rocco, E.; Ullaland, K.; Wang, H.; Yang, S.; Zhang, C.; Röhrich, D.

2017-07-01

Radiation therapy with protons as of today utilizes information from x-ray CT in order to estimate the proton stopping power of the traversed tissue in a patient. The conversion from x-ray attenuation to proton stopping power in tissue introduces range uncertainties of the order of 2-3% of the range, uncertainties that are contributing to an increase of the necessary planning margins added to the target volume in a patient. Imaging methods and modalities, such as Dual Energy CT and proton CT, have come into consideration in the pursuit of obtaining an as good as possible estimate of the proton stopping power. In this study, a Digital Tracking Calorimeter is benchmarked for proof-of-concept for proton CT purposes. The Digital Tracking Calorimeter was originally designed for the reconstruction of high-energy electromagnetic showers for the ALICE-FoCal project. The presented prototype forms the basis for a proton CT system using a single technology for tracking and calorimetry. This advantage simplifies the setup and reduces the cost of a proton CT system assembly, and it is a unique feature of the Digital Tracking Calorimeter concept. Data from the AGORFIRM beamline at KVI-CART in Groningen in the Netherlands and Monte Carlo simulation results are used to in order to develop a tracking algorithm for the estimation of the residual ranges of a high number of concurrent proton tracks. High energy protons traversing the detector leave a track through the sensor layers. These tracks are spread out through charge diffusion processes. A charge diffusion model is applied for acquisition of estimates of the deposited energy of the protons in each sensor layer by using the size of the charge diffused area. A model fit of the Bragg Curve is applied to each reconstructed track and through this, estimating the residual range of each proton. The range of the individual protons can at present be estimated with a resolution of 4%. The readout system for this prototype is able to handle an effective proton frequency of 1 MHz by using 500 concurrent proton tracks in each readout frame, which is at the high end range of present similar prototypes. A future further optimized prototype will enable a high-speed and more accurate determination of the ranges of individual protons in a therapeutic beam.

Development of the new trigger for VANDLE neutron detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasse, Adam; Taylor, Steven; Daugherty, Hadyn; Grzywacz, Robert

2014-09-01

Beta-delayed neutron emission (βn) is the dominant decay channel for the majority of very neutron-rich nuclei. In order to study these decays a new detector system called the Versatile Array of Neutron Detectors at Low Energy (VANDLE) was constructed. A critical part of this neutron time of flight detector is a trigger unit. This trigger is sensitive to electron from beta decay down to very low energies, insensitive to gamma rays and have a good timing performance, better than 1 ns. In order to satisfy these condition, we have developed a new system, which utilizes plastic scintillator but uses recently developed light readout technique, based on the so called Silicon Photomultiplier, manufactured by Sensl. New system has been developed and performance tested using digital data acquisition system at the University of Tennessee and will be utilized in future experiments involving VANDLE. Beta-delayed neutron emission (βn) is the dominant decay channel for the majority of very neutron-rich nuclei. In order to study these decays a new detector system called the Versatile Array of Neutron Detectors at Low Energy (VANDLE) was constructed. A critical part of this neutron time of flight detector is a trigger unit. This trigger is sensitive to electron from beta decay down to very low energies, insensitive to gamma rays and have a good timing performance, better than 1 ns. In order to satisfy these condition, we have developed a new system, which utilizes plastic scintillator but uses recently developed light readout technique, based on the so called Silicon Photomultiplier, manufactured by Sensl. New system has been developed and performance tested using digital data acquisition system at the University of Tennessee and will be utilized in future experiments involving VANDLE. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.

Design and implementation of Gm-APD array readout integrated circuit for infrared 3D imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Li-xia; Yang, Jun-hao; Liu, Zhao; Dong, Huai-peng; Wu, Jin; Sun, Wei-feng

2013-09-01

A single-photon detecting array of readout integrated circuit (ROIC) capable of infrared 3D imaging by photon detection and time-of-flight measurement is presented in this paper. The InGaAs avalanche photon diodes (APD) dynamic biased under Geiger operation mode by gate controlled active quenching circuit (AQC) are used here. The time-of-flight is accurately measured by a high accurate time-to-digital converter (TDC) integrated in the ROIC. For 3D imaging, frame rate controlling technique is utilized to the pixel's detection, so that the APD related to each pixel should be controlled by individual AQC to sense and quench the avalanche current, providing a digital CMOS-compatible voltage pulse. After each first sense, the detector is reset to wait for next frame operation. We employ counters of a two-segmental coarse-fine architecture, where the coarse conversion is achieved by a 10-bit pseudo-random linear feedback shift register (LFSR) in each pixel and a 3-bit fine conversion is realized by a ring delay line shared by all pixels. The reference clock driving the LFSR counter can be generated within the ring delay line Oscillator or provided by an external clock source. The circuit is designed and implemented by CSMC 0.5μm standard CMOS technology and the total chip area is around 2mm×2mm for 8×8 format ROIC with 150μm pixel pitch. The simulation results indicate that the relative time resolution of the proposed ROIC can achieve less than 1ns, and the preliminary test results show that the circuit function is correct.

A closed-loop compressive-sensing-based neural recording system.

PubMed

Zhang, Jie; Mitra, Srinjoy; Suo, Yuanming; Cheng, Andrew; Xiong, Tao; Michon, Frederic; Welkenhuysen, Marleen; Kloosterman, Fabian; Chin, Peter S; Hsiao, Steven; Tran, Trac D; Yazicioglu, Firat; Etienne-Cummings, Ralph

2015-06-01

This paper describes a low power closed-loop compressive sensing (CS) based neural recording system. This system provides an efficient method to reduce data transmission bandwidth for implantable neural recording devices. By doing so, this technique reduces a majority of system power consumption which is dissipated at data readout interface. The design of the system is scalable and is a viable option for large scale integration of electrodes or recording sites onto a single device. The entire system consists of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with 4 recording readout channels with CS circuits, a real time off-chip CS recovery block and a recovery quality evaluation block that provides a closed feedback to adaptively adjust compression rate. Since CS performance is strongly signal dependent, the ASIC has been tested in vivo and with standard public neural databases. Implemented using efficient digital circuit, this system is able to achieve >10 times data compression on the entire neural spike band (500-6KHz) while consuming only 0.83uW (0.53 V voltage supply) additional digital power per electrode. When only the spikes are desired, the system is able to further compress the detected spikes by around 16 times. Unlike other similar systems, the characteristic spikes and inter-spike data can both be recovered which guarantes a >95% spike classification success rate. The compression circuit occupied 0.11mm(2)/electrode in a 180nm CMOS process. The complete signal processing circuit consumes <16uW/electrode. Power and area efficiency demonstrated by the system make it an ideal candidate for integration into large recording arrays containing thousands of electrode. Closed-loop recording and reconstruction performance evaluation further improves the robustness of the compression method, thus making the system more practical for long term recording.

Frequency-domain cascading microwave superconducting quantum interference device multiplexers; beyond limitations originating from room-temperature electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohjiro, Satoshi; Hirayama, Fuminori

2018-07-01

A novel approach, frequency-domain cascading microwave multiplexers (MW-Mux), has been proposed and its basic operation has been demonstrated to increase the number of pixels multiplexed in a readout line U of MW-Mux for superconducting detector arrays. This method is an alternative to the challenging development of wideband, large power, and spurious-free room-temperature (300 K) electronics. The readout system for U pixels consists of four main parts: (1) multiplexer chips connected in series those contain U superconducting resonators in total. (2) A cryogenic high-electron-mobility transistor amplifier (HEMT). (3) A 300 K microwave frequency comb generator based on N(≡U/M) parallel units of digital-to-analog converters (DAC). (4) N parallel units of 300 K analog-to-digital converters (ADC). Here, M is the number of tones each DAC produces and each ADC handles. The output signal of U detectors multiplexed at the cryogenic stage is transmitted through a cable to the room temperature and divided into N processors where each handles M pixels. Due to the reduction factor of 1/N, U is not anymore dominated by the 300 K electronics but can be increased up to the potential value determined by either the bandwidth or the spurious-free power of the HEMT. Based on experimental results on the prototype system with N = 2 and M = 3, neither excess inter-pixel crosstalk nor excess noise has been observed in comparison with conventional MW-Mux. This indicates that the frequency-domain cascading MW-Mux provides the full (100%) usage of the HEMT band by assigning N 300 K bands on the frequency axis without inter-band gaps.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thirolf, P. G.; Habs, D.; Filipescu, D.

Next-generation {gamma} beams from laser Compton-backscattering facilities like ELI-NP (Bucharest)] or MEGa-Ray (Livermore) will drastically exceed the photon flux presently available at existing facilities, reaching or even exceeding 10{sup 13}{gamma}/sec. The beam structure as presently foreseen for MEGa-Ray and ELI-NP builds upon a structure of macro-pulses ({approx}120 Hz) for the electron beam, accelerated with X-band technology at 11.5 GHz, resulting in a micro structure of 87 ps distance between the electron pulses acting as mirrors for a counterpropagating intense laser. In total each 8.3 ms a {gamma} pulse series with a duration of about 100 ns will impinge on themore » target, resulting in an instantaneous photon flux of about 10{sup 18}{gamma}/s, thus introducing major challenges in view of pile-up. Novel {gamma} optics will be applied to monochromatize the {gamma} beam to ultimately {Delta}E/E{approx}10{sup -6}. Thus level-selective spectroscopy of higher multipole excitations will become accessible with good contrast for the first time. Fast responding {gamma} detectors, e.g. based on advanced scintillator technology (e.g. LaBr{sub 3}(Ce)) allow for measurements with count rates as high as 10{sup 6}-10{sup 7}{gamma}/s without significant drop of performance. Data handling adapted to the beam conditions could be performed by fast digitizing electronics, able to sample data traces during the micro-pulse duration, while the subsequent macro-pulse gap of ca. 8 ms leaves ample time for data readout. A ball of LaBr{sub 3} detectors with digital readout appears to best suited for this novel type of nuclear photonics at ultra-high counting rates.« less

Two-dimensional displacement measurement based on two parallel gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Peipei; Lu, Xi; Qiao, Decheng; Zou, Limin; Huang, Xiangdong; Tan, Jiubin; Lu, Zhengang

2018-06-01

In this paper, a two-dimensional (2-D) planar encoder based on two parallel gratings, which includes a scanning grating and scale grating, is presented. The scanning grating is a combined transmission rectangular grating comprised of a 2-D grating located at the center and two one-dimensional (1-D) gratings located at the sides. The grating lines of the two 1-D gratings are perpendicular to each other and parallel with the 2-D grating lines. The scale grating is a 2-D reflective-type rectangular grating placed in parallel with the scanning grating, and there is an angular difference of 45° between the grating lines of the two 2-D gratings. With the special structural design of the scanning grating, the encoder can measure the 2-D displacement in the grating plane simultaneously, and the measured interference signals in the two directions are uncoupled. Moreover, by utilizing the scanning grating to modulate the phase of the interference signals instead of the prisms, the structure of the encoder is compact. Experiments were implemented, and the results demonstrate the validity of the 2-D planar grating encoder.

Total Solar Eclipse to Introduce Scientific Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhary, D. P.

2015-12-01

We are designing an experiment to record time lapse slit-less flash spectra of solar chromosphere and corona before, during and after the Total Solar Eclipse (TSE). As the moon gradually covers different heights of chromosphere and corona, the time lapse spectra would provide high hight-resolution information about the line formation starting at very close proximity to the solar limb. The flash spectrum will be recored with a slit-less spectrograph consisting of a transmission grating of 300 lines/mm, blazed at 5000 Å, and an 135 mm f/3.5 telephoto lens. Based on earlier such instruments, the system's efficiency is expected to be about 60% at 5303 Å (Fe XIV emission line) and 20% at 6374 Å (Fe X emission line) (Voulgaris, 2010). We shall place the grating before the telephoto lens on a wedge shaped. The full range of the visible spectrum, from 3900 Å to 6700 Å will be projected on the CCD sensor of the digital camera. The resolution of the spectrograph is expected to be 0.5 Å/pixel at 5215 Å. The diameter of the Sun would corresponded to 275 pixels or 6.87''/pixel. By turning the grating, the direction of the ruling shall be set parallel to the direction of the last visible elongated crescent of the Sun; which will play the role of the "slit" in the slitless spectrograph. The spectrograph will be mounted on a solar tracker to observe the sun during TSE.

Readout, first- and second-level triggers of the new Belle silicon vertex detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedl, M.; Abe, R.; Abe, T.; Aihara, H.; Asano, Y.; Aso, T.; Bakich, A.; Browder, T.; Chang, M. C.; Chao, Y.; Chen, K. F.; Chidzik, S.; Dalseno, J.; Dowd, R.; Dragic, J.; Everton, C. W.; Fernholz, R.; Fujii, H.; Gao, Z. W.; Gordon, A.; Guo, Y. N.; Haba, J.; Hara, K.; Hara, T.; Harada, Y.; Haruyama, T.; Hasuko, K.; Hayashi, K.; Hazumi, M.; Heenan, E. M.; Higuchi, T.; Hirai, H.; Hitomi, N.; Igarashi, A.; Igarashi, Y.; Ikeda, H.; Ishino, H.; Itoh, K.; Iwaida, S.; Kaneko, J.; Kapusta, P.; Karawatzki, R.; Kasami, K.; Kawai, H.; Kawasaki, T.; Kibayashi, A.; Koike, S.; Korpar, S.; Križan, P.; Kurashiro, H.; Kusaka, A.; Lesiak, T.; Limosani, A.; Lin, W. C.; Marlow, D.; Matsumoto, H.; Mikami, Y.; Miyake, H.; Moloney, G. R.; Mori, T.; Nakadaira, T.; Nakano, Y.; Natkaniec, Z.; Nozaki, S.; Ohkubo, R.; Ohno, F.; Okuno, S.; Onuki, Y.; Ostrowicz, W.; Ozaki, H.; Peak, L.; Pernicka, M.; Rosen, M.; Rozanska, M.; Sato, N.; Schmid, S.; Shibata, T.; Stamen, R.; Stanič, S.; Steininger, H.; Sumisawa, K.; Suzuki, J.; Tajima, H.; Tajima, O.; Takahashi, K.; Takasaki, F.; Tamura, N.; Tanaka, M.; Taylor, G. N.; Terazaki, H.; Tomura, T.; Trabelsi, K.; Trischuk, W.; Tsuboyama, T.; Uchida, K.; Ueno, K.; Ueno, K.; Uozaki, N.; Ushiroda, Y.; Vahsen, S.; Varner, G.; Varvell, K.; Velikzhanin, Y. S.; Wang, C. C.; Wang, M. Z.; Watanabe, M.; Watanabe, Y.; Yamada, Y.; Yamamoto, H.; Yamashita, Y.; Yamashita, Y.; Yamauchi, M.; Yanai, H.; Yang, R.; Yasu, Y.; Yokoyama, M.; Ziegler, T.; Žontar, D.

2004-12-01

A major upgrade of the Silicon Vertex Detector (SVD 2.0) of the Belle experiment at the KEKB factory was installed along with new front-end and back-end electronics systems during the summer shutdown period in 2003 to cope with higher particle rates, improve the track resolution and meet the increasing requirements of radiation tolerance. The SVD 2.0 detector modules are read out by VA1TA chips which provide "fast or" (hit) signals that are combined by the back-end FADCTF modules to coarse, but immediate level 0 track trigger signals at rates of several tens of a kHz. Moreover, the digitized detector signals are compared to threshold lookup tables in the FADCTFs to pass on hit information on a single strip basis to the subsequent level 1.5 trigger system, which reduces the rate below the kHz range. Both FADCTF and level 1.5 electronics make use of parallel real-time processing in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), while further data acquisition and event building is done by PC farms running Linux. The new readout system hardware is described and the first results obtained with cosmics are shown.

Extended SWIR imaging sensors for hyperspectral imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, A.; Benecke, M.; Wendler, J.; Sieck, A.; Hübner, D.; Figgemeier, H.; Breiter, R.

2016-05-01

AIM has developed SWIR modules including FPAs based on liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) grown MCT usable in a wide range of hyperspectral imaging applications. Silicon read-out integrated circuits (ROIC) provide various integration and readout modes including specific functions for spectral imaging applications. An important advantage of MCT based detectors is the tunable band gap. The spectral sensitivity of MCT detectors can be engineered to cover the extended SWIR spectral region up to 2.5μm without compromising in performance. AIM developed the technology to extend the spectral sensitivity of its SWIR modules also into the VIS. This has been successfully demonstrated for 384x288 and 1024x256 FPAs with 24μm pitch. Results are presented in this paper. The FPAs are integrated into compact dewar cooler configurations using different types of coolers, like rotary coolers, AIM's long life split linear cooler MCC030 or extreme long life SF100 Pulse Tube cooler. The SWIR modules include command and control electronics (CCE) which allow easy interfacing using a digital standard interface. The development status and performance results of AIM's latest MCT SWIR modules suitable for hyperspectral systems and applications will be presented.

Tests of the MICE Electron Muon Ranger frontend electronics with a small scale prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolognini, D.; Bene, P.; Blondel, A.; Cadoux, F.; Debieux, S.; Giannini, G.; Graulich, J. S.; Lietti, D.; Masciocchi, F.; Prest, M.; Rothenfusser, K.; Vallazza, E.; Wisting, H.

2011-08-01

The MICE experiment is being commissioned at RAL to demonstrate the feasibility of the muon ionization cooling technique for future applications such as the Neutrino Factory and the Muon Collider. The cooling will be evaluated by measuring the emittance before and after the cooling channel with two 4 T spectrometers; to distinguish muons from the background, a multi-detector particle identification system is foreseen: three Time of Flight stations, two Cherenkov counters and a calorimetric system consisting of a pre-shower layer and a fully active scintillator detector (EMR) are used to discriminate muons from pions and electrons. EMR consists of 48 planes of triangular scintillating bars coupled to WLS fibers readout by single PMTs on one side and MAPMTs on the other; each plane sensible area is 1 m 2. This article deals with a small scale prototype of the EMR detector which has been used to test the MAPMT frontend electronics based on the MAROC ASIC; the tests with cosmic rays using both an analog mode and a digital readout mode are presented. A very preliminary study on the cross talk problem is also shown.

Self-triggering readout system for the neutron lifetime experiment PENeLOPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaisbauer, D.; Bai, Y.; Konorov, I.; Paul, S.; Steffen, D.

2016-02-01

PENeLOPE is a neutron lifetime measurement developed at the Technische Universität München and located at the Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) aiming to achieve a precision of 0.1 seconds. The detector for PENeLOPE consists of about 1250 Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) with a total active area of 1225 cm2. The decay proton detector and electronics will be operated at a high electrostatic potential of -30 kV and a magnetic field of 0.6 T. This includes shaper, preamplifier, ADC and FPGA cards. In addition, the APDs will be cooled to 77 K. The 1250 APDs are divided into 14 groups of 96 channels, including spares. A 12-bit ADC digitizes the detector signals with 1 MSps. A firmware was developed for the detector including a self-triggering readout with continuous pedestal calculation and configurable signal detection. The data transmission and configuration is done via the Switched Enabling Protocol (SEP). It is a time-division multiplexing low layer protocol which provides determined latency for time critical messages, IPBus, and JTAG interfaces. The network has a n:1 topology, reducing the number of optical links.