R&D Paths of Pixel Detectors for Vertex Tracking and Radiation Imaging

This report reviews current trends in the R&D of semiconductor pixellated sensors for vertex tracking and radiation imaging. It identifies requirements of future HEP experiments at colliders, needed technological breakthroughs and highlights the relation to radiation detection and imaging applications in other fields of science.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, submitted to the European Strategy Preparatory Grou

A monolithic 180 nm CMOS dosimeter for wireless in Vivo Dosimetry

The design, fabrication and testing of a novel monolithic system-on-chip dosimeter fabricated in a standard 180 nm CMOS technology is described. The device, implementing a radiation sensor and an RF transmitter, is proposed to address the need for real-time In Vivo Dosimetry (IVD) of radiation during Linac radiotherapy sessions. Owing to its small size, of approximately 1 mm3, such solution could be made in-body implantable and, as such, provide a much-enhanced high-resolution, real-time dose measurement to improve Quality Assurance (QA) in radiation therapy. The device transmits the related information on dose of radiation wirelessly to a remote receiver operating in the Medical Implant Communication Service (MICS) band. Comprehensive description of the various phases of this project, including the development of the radiation sensors and integrated RF transmitter to perform the readout, along with the final test results using a radiation beam, will be given

Integrated Circuits/Microchips

With the world marching inexorably towards the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0), one is now embracing lives with artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoTs), virtual reality (VR) and 5G technology. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, there are electronic devices that we rely indispensably on. While some of these technologies, such as those fueled with smart, autonomous systems, are seemingly precocious; others have existed for quite a while. These devices range from simple home appliances, entertainment media to complex aeronautical instruments. Clearly, the daily lives of mankind today are interwoven seamlessly with electronics. Surprising as it may seem, the cornerstone that empowers these electronic devices is nothing more than a mere diminutive semiconductor cube block. More colloquially referred to as the Very-Large-Scale-Integration (VLSI) chip or an integrated circuit (IC) chip or simply a microchip, this semiconductor cube block, approximately the size of a grain of rice, is composed of millions to billions of transistors. The transistors are interconnected in such a way that allows electrical circuitries for certain applications to be realized. Some of these chips serve specific permanent applications and are known as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICS); while, others are computing processors which could be programmed for diverse applications. The computer processor, together with its supporting hardware and user interfaces, is known as an embedded system.In this book, a variety of topics related to microchips are extensively illustrated. The topics encompass the physics of the microchip device, as well as its design methods and applications

Technical Design Report for the PANDA Micro Vertex Detector

This document illustrates the technical layout and the expected performance of the Micro Vertex Detector (MVD) of the PANDA experiment. The MVD will detect charged particles as close as possible to the interaction zone. Design criteria and the optimisation process as well as the technical solutions chosen are discussed and the results of this process are subjected to extensive Monte Carlo physics studies. The route towards realisation of the detector is outlined

Ultra-low Voltage Digital Circuits and Extreme Temperature Electronics Design

Certain applications require digital electronics to operate under extreme conditions e.g., large swings in ambient temperature, very low supply voltage, high radiation. Such applications include sensor networks, wearable electronics, unmanned aerial vehicles, spacecraft, and energyharvesting systems. This dissertation splits into two projects that study digital electronics supplied by ultra-low voltages and build an electronic system for extreme temperatures. The first project introduces techniques that improve circuit reliability at deep subthreshold voltages as well as determine the minimum required supply voltage. These techniques address digital electronic design at several levels: the physical process, gate design, and system architecture. This dissertation analyzes a silicon-on-insulator process, Schmitt-trigger gate design, and asynchronous logic at supply voltages lower than 100 millivolts. The second project describes construction of a sensor digital controller for the lunar environment. Parts of the digital controller are an asynchronous 8031 microprocessor that is compatible with synchronous logic, memory with error detection and correction, and a robust network interface. The digitial sensor ASIC is fabricated on a silicon-germanium process and built with cells optimized for extreme temperatures

An Impacting Descent Probe for Europa and the other Galilean Moons of Jupiter

We present a study of an impacting descent probe that increases the science return of spacecraft orbiting or passing an atmosphere-less planetary body of the solar system, such as the Galilean moons of Jupiter. The descent probe is a carry-on small spacecraft (< 100 kg), to be deployed by the mother spacecraft, that brings itself onto a collisional trajectory with the targeted planetary body in a simple manner. A possible science payload includes instruments for surface imaging, characterisation of the neutral exosphere, and magnetic field and plasma measurement near the target body down to very low-altitudes (~1 km), during the probe's fast (~km/s) descent to the surface until impact. The science goals and the concept of operation are discussed with particular reference to Europa, including options for flying through water plumes and after-impact retrieval of very-low altitude science data. All in all, it is demonstrated how the descent probe has the potential to provide a high science return to a mission at a low extra level of complexity, engineering effort, and risk. This study builds upon earlier studies for a Callisto Descent Probe (CDP) for the former Europa-Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) of ESA and NASA, and extends them with a detailed assessment of a descent probe designed to be an additional science payload for the NASA Europa Mission.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figure

Characterisation of CMOS APS Technologies for Space Applications

In recent years, the performance of scientific CMOS active pixel sensors has been improved to the point that it is now approaching that of the current silicon sensor of choice, CCDs. For some applications, CMOS APSs is believed to present significant advantages over CCDs, such as improved radiation hardness. In this work, the effect of radiation damage on a ‘baseline’ commercial APS, e2v technologies’ Jade APS, is characterised in response to gamma, proton and heavy ion irradiation. Specific performance problems encountered during this radiation characterisation, such as dark current non-uniformity under gamma irradiation, random telegraph signals under proton irradiation, and single event effects under heavy ion irradiation are described and analyzed. The X-ray spectroscopic imaging performance of the device is measured and compared to the Ocean Colour Imager APS test array showing progress towards a high frame rate spectroscopic X-ray imager for space science. The implications of these results for using similar devices in space applications are considered. Furthermore, possible novel techniques for measuring inter-pixel responsivity non-uniformity, heavy ion detection and spectroscopy, and measuring the dynamics of radiation-induced trap formation are discussed