The High Energy Modular Ensemble of Satellites (HERMES) project is aimed to realize a modular X/gamma-ray monitor for transient events, to be placed on-board of a nano-satellite bus (e.g. CubeSat). ...This expandable platform will achieve a significant impact on Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) science and on the detection of Gravitational Wave (GW) electromagnetic counterparts: the recent LIGO/VIRGO discoveries demonstrated that the high-energy transient sky is still a field of extreme interest. The very complex temporal variability of GRBs (experimentally verified up to the millisecond scale) combined with the spatial and temporal coincidence between GWs and their electromagnetic counterparts suggest that upcoming instruments require sub-microsecond time resolution combined with a transient localization accuracy lower than a degree. The current phase of the ongoing HERMES project is focused on the realization of a technological pathfinder with a small network (3 units) of nano-satellites to be launched in mid 2020. We will show the potential and prospects for short and medium-term development of the project, demonstrating the disrupting possibilities for scientific investigations provided by the innovative concept of a new “modular astronomy” with nano-satellites (e.g. low developing costs, very short realization time). Finally, we will illustrate the characteristics of the HERMES Technological Pathfinder project, demonstrating how the scientific goals discussed are actually already reachable with the first nano-satellites of this constellation. The detector architecture will be described in detail, showing that the new generation of scintillators (e.g. GAGG:Ce) coupled with very performing Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) and low noise Front-End-Electronics (FEE) are able to extend down to few keV the sensitivity band of the detector. The technical solutions for FEE, Back-End-Electronics (BEE) and Data Handling will be also described.
We present a spectroscopic system constituted by a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) coupled to a CMOS charge sensitive preamplifier, named SIRIO, specifically designed to reach ultimate low noise levels. ...The SDD, with an active area of 13 mm 2 , has been manufactured by optimizing the production processes in order to reduce the anode current, successfully reaching current densities between 17 pA/cm 2 and 25 pA/cm 2 at + 20 ° C for drift fields ranging from 100 V/cm to 500 V/cm. The preamplifier shows minimum intrinsic noise levels of 1.27 and 1.0 electrons r.m.s. at +20 ° C and -30 ° C, respectively. At room temperature (+ 20 ° C) the 55 Fe 5.9 keV and the pulser lines have 136 eV and 64 eV FWHM, respectively, corresponding to an equivalent noise charge of 7.4 electrons r.m.s.; the noise threshold is at 165 eV. The energy resolution, as measured on the pulser line, ranges from 82 eV FWHM (9.4 electrons r.m.s.) at + 30 ° C down to 29 eV FWHM (3.3 electrons r.m.s.) at - 30 ° C.
A system constituted by a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD), fabricated with an innovative technology for minimizing the anode current, and a new CMOS charge sensitive preamplifier (CSA), designed for ...ultimate low noise performance, has been realized and experimentally characterized. The SDD is hexagonal with an active area of 13 mm super(2). The current density measured at the anode with the detector in operating condition is 25 pA/cm super(2) at +20degreesC. The CSA-named SIRIO-has intrinsic Equivalent Noise Charge (ENC) ranging from 2.9 to 1.5 electrons r.m.s. at 0.8 mus and 11 mus peaking times at room temperature, respectively. With the SDD-SIRIO system at +21degreesC, an energy resolution of 141 eV FWHM on the super(55) Fe line at 5.9 keV and 74 eV FWHM on the pulser line with a noise threshold of 170 eV have been measured at 0.8 mus peaking time. The system has been tested from -30degreesC to +30degreesC with energy resolution from 124 eV to 148 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV. A moderate cooling at +10degreesC is sufficient to reach 133 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV.
Abstract
The results of a collaborative development activity aimed to the realization of multi-cell detectors based on monolithic SDD pixel technology will be described. Two kind of detection ...systems, skilled for the light lines at synchrotrons, have been brought to high levels of finalization and integration; a 64 cells detection system dedicated to absorption spectroscopy (XAFS) and a 32 cells detector for the X-ray microscopy (TwinMic). The main targets of this effort, led in a tight collaboration with the beam lines scientists, were large sensitive area, high rate capabilities, state of the art efficiency and energy resolution. The aim is to reduce the beam time demand for each single measurement while delivering a cutting edge analytical power.
All basic elements of those detection systems, from the detector’s design and production to the front-end and read-out electronics including the final engineering of the integrated system were customized to the specific use addressed.
Multi-pixel fast silicon detectors represent the enabling technology for the next generation of space-borne experiments devoted to high-resolution spectral-timing studies of low-flux compact cosmic ...sources. Several imaging detectors based on frame-integration have been developed as focal plane devices for X-ray space-borne missions but, when coupled to large-area concentrator X-ray optics, these detectors are affected by strong pile-up and dead-time effects, thus limiting the time and energy resolution as well as the overall system sensitivity. The current technological gap in the capability to realize pixelated silicon detectors for soft X-rays with fast, photon-by-photon response and nearly Fano-limited energy resolution therefore translates into the unavailability of sparse read-out sensors suitable for high throughput X-ray astronomy applications. In the framework of the ReDSoX Italian collaboration, we developed a new, sparse read-out, pixelated silicon drift detector which operates in the energy range 0.5–15 keV with nearly Fano-limited energy resolution (≤150 eV FWHM @ 6 keV) at room temperature or with moderate cooling (∼0°C to +20°C). In this paper, we present the design and the laboratory characterization of the first 16-pixel (4 × 4) drift detector prototype (PixDD), read-out by individual ultra low-noise charge sensitive preamplifiers (SIRIO) and we discuss the future PixDD prototype developments.
Low-energy X-ray fluorescence (LEXRF) is an essential tool for bio-related research of organic samples, whose composition is dominated by light elements. Working at energies below 2 keV and being ...able to detect fluorescence photons of lightweight elements such as carbon (277 eV) is still a challenge, since it requires in-vacuum operations to avoid in-air photon absorption. Moreover, the detectors must have a thin entrance window and collect photons at an angle of incidence near 90 degrees to minimize the absorption by the protective coating. Considering the low fluorescence yield of light elements, it is important to cover a substantial part of the solid angle detecting ideally all emitted X-ray fluorescence (XRF) photons. Furthermore, the energy resolution of the detection system should be close to the Fano limit in order to discriminate elements whose XRF emission lines are often very close within the energy spectra. To ensure all these features, a system consisting of four monolithic multi-element silicon drift detectors was developed. The use of four separate detector units allows optimizing the incidence angle on all the sensor elements. The multi-element approach in turn provides a lower leakage current on each anode, which, in combination with ultra-low noise preamplifiers, is necessary to achieve an energy resolution close to the Fano limit. The potential of the new detection system and its applicability for typical LEXRF applications has been proved on the Elettra TwinMic beamline.
A large area, 120x72mm super(2), linear Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) has been developed for X-ray spectroscopy in the 2-50 keV energy range. Elaborated via a number of prototypes, the final detector ...design, REDSOX1, features elements to meet the requirements of a modern spaceborne X-ray detector with a power consumption per sensitive area below 0.5 mW/cm super(2), offering the possibility to perform timing and spectroscopy X-ray observations on a ten microseconds scale.
The XGS instrument on-board THESEUS Fuschino, F.; Campana, R.; Labanti, C. ...
Journal of physics. Conference series,
10/2016, Letnik:
763, Številka:
1
Journal Article
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Consolidated techniques used for space-borne X-ray and gamma-ray instruments are based on the use of scintillators coupled to Silicon photo-detectors. This technology associated with modern very low ...noise read-out electronics allows the design of innovative architectures able to reduce drastically the system complexity and power consumption, also with a moderate-to-high number of channels. These detector architectures can be exploited in the design of space instrumentation for gamma-spectroscopy with the benefit of possible smart background rejection strategies. We describe a detector prototype with 3D imaging capabilities to be employed in future gamma-ray and particle space missions in the 0.002-100 MeV energy range. The instrument is based on a stack of scintillating bars read out by Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) at both ends. The spatial segmentation and the crystal double-side readout allow a 3D position reconstruction with ∼3 mm accuracy within the full active volume, using a 2D readout along the two external faces of the detector. Furthermore, one of the side of SDDs can be used simultaneously to detect X-rays in the 2-30 keV energy range. The characteristics of this instrument make it suitable in next generation gamma-ray and particle space missions for Earth or outer space observations, and it will be briefly illustrated.
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