High-resolution CMOS particle detectors: design and test issues
01 Jan 2003-Vol. 1, pp 331-334
TL;DR: Some issues related to the design, implementation and test of a CMOS active pixel sensor chip (RAPS01), developed in the framework of RAPS (Radiation Active Pixel Sensors) INFN project are discussed.
Abstract: In this paper, we discuss some issues related to the design, implementation and test of a CMOS active pixel sensor chip (RAPS01), developed in the framework of RAPS (Radiation Active Pixel Sensors) INFN project. Two different basic pixel schemes have been proposed The first one is based on a standard Active Pixel Sensor (APS) architecture, while a second architecture, named Weak Inversion Pixel Sensor (WIPS) exploits a different circuitry which allows for "sparse" access mode and thus for speeding-up the read-out phase. Device simulation has been extensively used to estimate the photodiode response for different technologies (thus addressing selection of the silicon foundry). Chip fabrication has been completed and a preliminary test phase has been performed. A suitable test environment has been devised and test strategies have been planned Future work is also outlined, aimed at the fabrication of a second version of the chip, more effectively integrating smart circuitry.
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TL;DR: The authors present a novel approach to perform online monitoring of the staff during their interventions by using a device based on an Active Pixel Sensor, marking a distinct improvement with respect to commercial Active Personal Dosimeters.
Abstract: Interventional radiologists and staff members, during all their professional activities, are frequently exposed to protracted and fractionated low doses of ionizing radiation. Due to skin tissues and peripheral blood irradiation, these exposures can result in deterministic effects (radiodermatitis, aged skin, and hand depilation) or stochastic ones (skin and non-solid cancer incidence). The authors present a novel approach to perform online monitoring of the staff during their interventions by using a device based on an Active Pixel Sensor. The performance of the sensor as an X-ray radiation detector has been evaluated with a proper experimental setup: the number of photons and the generated charge have been assessed as dosimetric observables from the frames acquired by the sensor using a two-threshold clustering algorithm, the efficiency of which has been evaluated as well. The correlation of these observables with passive dosimeter dose measurements has been analyzed: a good linearity has been demonstrated, and the response difference between pulsed and continuous operational modes is reduced to less than 10%, marking a distinct improvement with respect to commercial Active Personal Dosimeters.
32 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an oscillator concept developed for particle detection and tracking is presented, and the methodology used to characterize the currents generated by the particle is detailed. And an application example is developed to validate the detector capability to track a striking particle.
Abstract: An oscillator concept developed for particle detection and tracking is presented. The methodology used to characterize the currents generated by the particle is detailed. A Design Of Experiment (DOE) analysis is used to correlate the circuit oscillations with the current characteristics after particle detection. To validate the concept, an application example is developed to validate the detector capability to track a striking particle.
16 citations
TL;DR: The sensor element for a wireless real-time dosimeter to be worn by the medical staff during the interventional radiology procedures, in the framework of the Real-Time Active PIxel Dosimetry (RAPID) INFN project is characterized.
Abstract: Staff members applying Interventional Radiology procedures are exposed to ionizing radiation, which can induce detrimental effects to the human body, and requires an improvement of radiation protection. This paper is focused on the study of the sensor element for a wireless real-time dosimeter to be worn by the medical staff during the interventional radiology procedures, in the framework of the Real-Time Active PIxel Dosimetry (RAPID) INFN project. We characterize a CMOS imager to be used as detection element for the photons scattered by the patient body. The CMOS imager has been first characterized in laboratory using fluorescence X-ray sources, then a PMMA phantom has been used to diffuse the X-ray photons from an angiography system. Different operating conditions have been used to test the detector response in realistic situations, by varying the X-ray tube parameters (continuous/pulsed mode, tube voltage and current, pulse parameters), the sensor parameters (gain, integration time) and the relative distance between sensor and phantom. The sensor response has been compared with measurements performed using passive dosimeters (TLD) and also with a certified beam, in an accredited calibration centre, in order to obtain an absolute calibration. The results are very encouraging, with dose and dose rate measurement uncertainties below the 10% level even for the most demanding Interventional Radiology protocols.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a combined approach using two methods, applied to the case of CMOS pixel sensor, to obtain a better understanding of the behavior of the devices.
Abstract: Silicon devices (both pixels and microstrips) have been widely used in the past years in High Energy Physics experiments and also in other applications involving the detection of ionizing radiation such as medical imaging and dosimetry. The simulation of the silicon devices response to ionizing radiation is an important step needed to understand the performances in terms of signal, noise, spatial and energy resolution as a function of several technology parameters like doping profile, geometrical dimensions, bias voltage. These simulations are routinely carried out using two separate approaches (and tools): radiation interaction with a geometrically segmented silicon material (GEANT4, FLUKA, PENELOPE) taking into account the physical processes and giving as output the deposited energy; transport of generated electron/hole pairs through the device with electronic signal formation (SENTAURUS-TCAD). In this work we propose a new combined approach using both methods, applied to the case of CMOS pixel sensor, to obtain a better understanding of the behavior of the devices.
9 citations
25 Mar 2015
TL;DR: In order to improve the correlation between the input current and the oscillator response (signal recognition), a new solution of particle detector based on simple VCO circuit is proposed, which enhances the particle recognition with a simple analysis of the VCO output.
Abstract: A way of improvement of an oscillator concept, dedicated to detection and tracking of low energy particles with low fluxes, is presented. The solution is based on an indirect detection of the current generated at the input of the detection chain, through a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) response. In order to improve the correlation between the input current and the oscillator response (signal recognition), a new solution of particle detector based on simple VCO circuit is proposed. The solution enhances the particle recognition with a simple analysis of the VCO output. The new output parameter variations are analyzed.
5 citations
References
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11 Feb 2001-Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment
TL;DR: In this article, a novel active pixel sensor (MAPS) for charged particle tracking made in a standard CMOS technology is proposed, which has a special structure, which allows the high detection efficiency required for tracking applications.
Abstract: A novel Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) for charged particle tracking made in a standard CMOS technology is proposed. The sensor is a photodiode, which is readily available in a CMOS technology. The diode has a special structure, which allows the high detection efficiency required for tracking applications. The partially depleted thin epitaxial silicon layer is used as a sensitive detector volume. Semiconductor device simulation, using either ToSCA based or 3-D ISE-TCAD software packages shows that the charge collection is efficient, reasonably fast (order of 100 ns), and the charge spreading limited to a few pixels only. A first prototype has been designed, fabricated and tested. It is made of four arrays each containing 64×64 pixels, with a readout pitch of 20 μm in both directions. The device is fabricated using standard submicron 0.6 μm CMOS process, which features twin-tub implanted in a p-type epitaxial layer, a characteristic common to many modern CMOS VLSI processes. Extensive tests made with soft X-ray source ( 55 Fe) and minimum ionising particles (15 GeV/ c pions) fully demonstrate the predicted performances, with the individual pixel noise (ENC) below 20 electrons and the Signal-to-Noise ratio for both 5.9 keV X-rays and Minimum Ionising Particles (MIP) of the order of 30. This novel device opens new perspectives in high-precision vertex detectors in Particle Physics experiments, as well as in other application, like low-energy beta particle imaging, visible light single photon imaging (using the Hybrid Photon Detector approach) and high-precision slow neutron imaging.
395 citations
"High-resolution CMOS particle detec..." refers background in this paper
...(2) The authors are with Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica e dell’Informazione (D....
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01 Apr 2001-Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment
TL;DR: In this paper, an integrated active pixel sensor for charged particle tracking based on a novel detector structure has been designed at LEPSI, fabricated and tested in CERN beams, which has been simulated using the ToSCA package and Monte-Carlo analysis.
Abstract: An Integrated Active Pixel Sensor for charged particle tracking based on a novel detector structure has been designed at LEPSI, fabricated and tested in CERN beams. The device, called MIMOSA, has been simulated using the ToSCA package and Monte-Carlo analysis. This fast simulation allows to test all the parameters of the geometry (diodes, N-and P-wells, epitaxial region). Our calculations are in good agreement with all measurements, and confirm the high-potential of this kind of detector for high-efficiency MIP detection with 10 μm spatial resolution.
19 citations
"High-resolution CMOS particle detec..." refers background in this paper
...Daniele Passeri , Pisana Placidi , Leonardo Verducci , Paolo Ciampolini((1,3)), Guido Matrella , Alessandro Marras((3)), GianMario Bilei((1))...
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...(1) The authors are with Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (I....
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21 Sep 2003-Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment
TL;DR: In this paper, a couple of significant applications of device simulation to the investigation and design of advanced solid-state radiation sensors are presented, namely, radiation damage influence on detectors operating at cryogenic temperatures and features of an innovative scheme for CMOS active pixel sensors.
Abstract: Device simulation allows for accurate analysis of device behavior, accounting for several physical details that cannot easily be taken into account within compact, equivalent-circuit models. This is especially true for some issues typical of the design of silicon radiation detectors, where silicon properties are exploited in a non-conventional way and radiation damage raises severe reliability concerns. In this paper, a couple of significant applications of device simulation to the investigation and design of advanced solid-state radiation sensors are presented. More specifically, (i) radiation damage influence on detectors operating at cryogenic temperatures is successfully modeled and (ii) features of an innovative scheme for CMOS active pixel sensors are analyzed by means of mixed-mode simulation tools. From these examples, the usefulness and potentiality of advanced simulation techniques in the perspective of radiation detectors can be appreciated.
11 citations
04 Nov 2001
TL;DR: In this article, the adequacy of active pixel sensors for charged particle tracking has been assessed, based on prototypes fabricated in 0.6, 0.35 and 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS processes.
Abstract: The adequacy of Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors for charged particle tracking has been assessed, based on prototypes fabricated in 0.6, 0.35 and 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS processes. First radiation hardness studies of these prototypes are presented. Measurements were performed using a 30 MeV/c proton beam, a fast neutron beam from a nuclear reactor and a 10 keV X-ray generator as irradiation sources. The losses in the collected charge were measured after 5/spl times/10/sup 11/ protons/cm/sup 2/ as well as after a total fluence of 10/sup 12/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/. Moderate doses (hundreds of kRads) of X-ray photons induces an important increase of a leakage current, showing also limited effect on the collected charge. Test results are reviewed and new charge collecting radiation tolerant structures are proposed.
9 citations
"High-resolution CMOS particle detec..." refers background in this paper
...Daniele Passeri , Pisana Placidi , Leonardo Verducci , Paolo Ciampolini((1,3)), Guido Matrella , Alessandro Marras((3)), GianMario Bilei((1))...
[...]
...(3) The authors are with Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione (D....
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