Dirk Meier

IDEAS - Integrated Detector Electronics AS · http://wwww.ideas.no

The IDEAS IDE3380 mixed-signal SiPM readout ASIC and ADC technology for space in AMS 0.35µm CMOS shows no relevant change below 340 krad(Si) TID, no latch-up below 137 MeV cm 2 /mg, and no SEU/SETs below 18 MeV cm 2 /mg.

PAN is a scientific instrument suitable for deep space and interplanetary missions. It can precisely measure and monitor the flux, composition, and direction of highly penetrating particles ($> \sim$100 MeV/nucleon) in deep space, over at least one full solar cycle (~11 years). The science program of PAN is multi- and cross-disciplinary, covering c...

The IDE1060 is an integrated circuit (IC) with 34 preamplifiers for reading out infrared (IR) sensors and focal-plane imaging arrays (FPA). We designed the circuit under contract with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) where the device shall be used with typical large-format astronomical IR sensors, e.g., Raytheon Aquarius and Teledyne HAWAII-...

The detector readout for the Radiation-hard Electron Monitor (RADEM) aboard the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) uses a custom-made application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC, model: IDE3466) for the charge signal readout from silicon radiation sensors. RADEM measures the total ionizing dose and dose rate for protons (5 MeV to 250 MeV), electr...

SIPHRA is an integrated circuit (IC) for the readout of photon detectors, such as photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), and multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs). The IC has 16 input channels and one summing channel. Each channel can be used for pulse height spectroscopy and timing. The summing channel is important for the r...

Presentation of three applications/technologies with specification and results: 1. Flight model ASIC for the Radiation Hard Electron Monitor (RADEM) aboard the ESA JUICE mission. 2. SIPHRA - Silicon Photomultiplier Readout ASIC for visible light 3. NIRCA - Near Infrared Readout Controller ASIC for infrared (IR)

This work is a continuation of our preliminary tests on NIRCA - the Near Infrared Readout and Controller ASIC [1]. The primary application for NIRCA is future astronomical science and Earth observation missions where NIRCA will be used with mercury cadmium telluride image sensors (HgCdTe, or MCT) [2], [3]. Recently we have completed the ASIC tests...

In this paper we present initial test results of the Near Infrared Readout and Controller ASIC (NIRCA), designed for large area image sensors under contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Norwegian Space Center. The ASIC is designed to read out image sensors based on mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe, or MCT) operating down to 77 K. I...

The article describes the near infrared readout and controller ASIC (NIRCA) developed by Integrated Detector Electronics AS (IDEAS). The project aims at future astronomical science and Earth observation missions, where the ASIC will be used with image sensors based on mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe, or MCT). NIRCA is designed to operate from cry...

Single photon emission tomography (SPET or SPECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are in use routinely in hospitals worldwide. Each of these modalities is steadily growing in study volume and makes a major contribution to healthcare, with approximately 40 million SPECT and 60 million MRI patient exams completed every year. Also in the preclini...

The IDE 3465 is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that has been designed for the readout of silicon detectors for charged particles. The chip has 20 inputs of charge sensitive pre-amplifiers (CSA), a total of 37 digital logic trigger outputs, and one analogue multiplexer output for pulse heights. Out of the 20 channels, 16 have a hi...

The IDE 4281 is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that has been designed for the readout of CdTe/CZT radiation detectors in space. The chip can be used for single photon spectroscopy of x-rays and γ -rays with energy between 3.5 keV and 140 keV and rate up to 100 kcps per chip. The chip contains 12 low-noise pre-amplifiers (110 e eq...

The ESA Next Generation Radiation Monitor (NGRM), currently under development, will be the successor of the ESA Standard Radiation Environment Monitor (SREM) that is still measuring near-Earth and interplanetary space radiation environment onboard 6 different spacecrafts. NGRM will measure protons from 2 MeV up to 200 MeV, electrons from 100keV up...

Despite its high sensitivity, the variable specificity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in breast cancer diagnosis can lead to unnecessary biopsies and over-treatment. Scintimammography (SMM) could potentially supplement MRI to improve the diagnostic specificity. The synergistic combination of MRI and SMM (MRSMM) could result in both high sensit...

We describe a method of interpolation for a pixellated γ-radiation detector made of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) with the goal to optimize its intrinsic spatial resolution. A similar method is known from silicon strip sensors where the interpolation improves the intrinsic spatial resolution over the single-strip digital resolution.

We describe an MR-compatible SPECT camera for small animals. The SPECT camera system can be inserted into the bore of a state-of-the-art MRI system and allows researchers to acquire tomographic images from a mouse in-vivo with the MRI and the SPECT acquiring simultaneously. The SPECT system provides functional information, while MRI provides anatom...

Radiolabeled cells have been imaged for decades in the field of autoradiography. Recent advances in detector and microelectronics technologies have enabled the new field of "digital autoradiography" which remains limited to ex vivo specimens of thin tissue slices. The 3D field-of-view (FOV) of single cell imaging can be extended to millimeters if t...

The goal of this paper was to investigate the benefits that could be realistically achieved on a microCT imaging system with an energy-resolved photon-counting x-ray detector. To this end, we built and evaluated a prototype microCT system based on such a detector. The detector is based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) radiation sensors and application-s...

The need to understand the behavior of individual stem cells at the various stages of their differentiation and to assess the resulting reparative action in pre-clinical model systems, which typically involves laboratory animals, provides the motivation for imaging of stem cells in vivo at high resolution. Our initial focus is to image cells and ce...

We describe a continuing design and development of MR-compatible SPECT systems for simultaneous SPECT-MR imaging of small animals. A first generation prototype SPECT system was designed and constructed to fit inside a MRI system with a gradient bore inner diameter of 12 cm. It consists of 3 angularly offset rings of 8 detectors (1"x1", 16x16 pixels...

The need to understand the behavior of individual stem cells at the various stages of their differentiation and to assess the resulting reparative action in pre-clinical model systems, which typically involves laboratory animals, provides the motivation for imaging of stem cells in vivo at high resolution. Our initial focus is to image cells and ce...

Purpose: The objective of the study was to demonstrate that, in x-ray computed tomography (CT), more than two types of materials can be effectively separated with the use of an energy resolved photon-counting detector and classification methodology. Specifically, this applies to the case when contrast agents that contain K-absorption edges in the...

In this study, we investigated the in vivo application of an integrated small-animal magnetic resonance (MR) and gamma-ray imaging system that consists of a semiconductor-based radiation detector, a parallel-hole collimator, and a specialized radiofrequency coil. Gadodiamide and (99m)Tc sestimibi agents were injected simultaneously into a mouse, an...

Conventional x-ray detectors integrate the photon energy flux, losing individual photon energy information. By contrast, energy resolved photon-counting x-ray detectors (PCXDs) count photons in energy windows, thus retaining some energy information. This provides a number of advantages, including the use of energy information to aid in material dis...

We have developed an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) suitable for the readout of up to 64 silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) or multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs). The ASIC can be used with SiPMs/MPPCs and scintillators for energy spectroscopy and timing of ionizing radiation and provides important functionality for SiPMs: The preampli...

The goal of the study was to investigate data acquisition strategies and image reconstruction methods for a stationary SPECT insert that can operate inside an MRI scanner with a 12 cm bore diameter for simultaneous SPECT/MRI imaging of small animals. The SPECT insert consists of 3 octagonal rings of 8 MR-compatible CZT detectors per ring surroundin...

The overall aim of this work was to evaluate the potential for improving in vivo small animal microCT through the use of an energy resolved photon-counting detector. To this end, we developed and evaluated a prototype microCT system based on a second-generation photon-counting x-ray detector which simultaneously counted photons with energies above...

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can provide specific functional information while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide high-spatial resolution anatomical information as well as complementary functional information. In this study, we utilized a dual modality SPECT/MRI (MRSPECT) system to investigate the integration of SPEC...

In medical imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can provide specific functional information while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide high spatial resolution anatomical information as well as complementary functional information. In this study, we developed a miniaturized dual-modality SPECT/MRI (MRSPECT) system and...

We describe a digital line-camera that can be used for computed tomography (CT) with energy resolved x-ray photon counting (XPC) capability. The camera is based on pixellated cadmium telluride (CdTe) radiation sensors and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Each camera pixel simultaneously counts x-rays in multiple energy bins providi...

We describe a single photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT) which can be operated inside state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The combined SPECT/MRI system allows one to acquire simultaneously the data from both modalities and co-register the images in space and time. The new SPECT is based on the semiconductor cadmium zin...

We describe a single photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT) which can be operated inside state-of-theart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The combined SPECT/MRI system allows one to acquire simultaneously the data from both modalities and co-register the images in space and time. Unlike conventional SPECT systems, which use scintillato...

We are investigating pixellated radiation sensors based on cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) for gamma cameras in pre-clinical and clinical imaging applications. Each pixel allows one to acquire an energy spectrum in the range from 20 keV to 360 keV. We observe an energy resolution of 5.5 keV FWHM (3.9%) at 140 keV which allows one to distinguish differ...

We have developed a new application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for the readout of pixellated CdTe radiation sensors. The ASIC can be connected to 64 sensor pixels and can deliver up to 6-bin energy spectra. The ASIC is useful for new x-ray imaging applications with multi-bin energy resolved photon counting. The ASIC has 64 channels each con...

The XA is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for gamma- and X-ray energy spectroscopy and imaging. The circuit was designed to read signals from semiconductor radiation sensors such as cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) or cadmium telluride (CdTe). The assembly of CZT sensors with XA-ASICs allows one to measure energies of gamma- and Xrays...

A gamma camera, assembled from radiation imaging modules based on cadmium zinc telluride (CZT), has been studied under moderate and long-term variations of temperature (15degC to 40degC) and humidity (10% to 70%). Over one year we acquired energy spectra from radiation sources and we measured the photo-peak position and energy resolution. We observ...

Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe, or CZT) is a room-temperature semiconductor radiation detector that has been developed in recent years for a variety of applications. CZT has been investigated for many potential uses in medical imaging, especially in the field of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). CZT can also be used in positron em...

We have developed and constructed an MR-compatible single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system for small animal molecular imaging applications. The system consists of identical radiation imaging modules and a multi-pinhole collimator sleeve. The modular design results in a very compact system which allows for easy insertion into state...

We have studied the performance of Hamamatsu multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) devices for scintillation light readout. Two types of MPPC devices, both with a sensitive area of 1 mm times 1 mm and 400 and 1600 pixels, respectively, have been tested with LYSO scintillators matched to the active area of the MPPC. The measurements covered an energy sp...

The value of pre-clinical PET and MRI is established, and SPECT also is now routinely used in drug development, disease treatment, and molecular biology research. The aim of this research is to prepare and test imaging prototypes of both SPECT and PET with similar form-factors for use within the core of a pre-clinical MRI. To test the imaging prope...

Silicon photomultipliers are of great interest for scintillation light detection in gamma spectroscopy, due to their large gain and high speed. In this article we report about the use of a silicon photomultiplier for radiation detection and gamma spectroscopy. It is our goal to understand silicon photomultipliers to the extent that we could use the...

A new low-noise multichannel application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) has been designed for use in nuclear medical imaging single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and prototypes have been produced and tested. The ASIC has 128 charge sensitive amplifiers (CSAs) followed by shapers, threshold discriminators, and sample-and-hold. The...

Compton collimated imaging may improve the detection of gamma rays emitted by radioisotopes used in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). We present a crude prototype consisting of a single thick, 256 pad silicon detector with pad size of , combined with a NaI scintillator crystal coupled to a set of 20 photo multipliers. Emphasis is...

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond has been discussed extensively as an alternative sensor material for use very close to the interaction region of the LHC and other machines where extreme radiation conditions exist. During the last seven years the RD42 collaboration has developed diamond detectors and tested them with LHC electronics towards...

Chemical vapor deposition diamond has been discussed extensively as an alternate sensor material for use very close to the interaction region of the LHC where extreme radiation conditions exist. During the last few years diamond devices have been manufactured and tested with LHC electronics with the goal of creating a detector usable by all LHC exp...

Chemical Vapor Deposited (CVD) polycrystalline diamond has been proposed as a radiation-hard alternative to silicon in the extreme radiation levels occurring close to the interaction region of the Large Hadron Collider. Due to an intense research effort, reliable high-quality polycrystalline CVD diamond detectors, with up to charge collection dista...

Diamond is a promising sensor material for future collider experiments due to its radiation hardness. Diamond pixel sensors have been bump bonded to an ATLAS pixel readout chip using PbSn solder bumps. Single chip devices have been characterised by lab measurements and in a high-energy pion beam at CERN. Results on charge collection, spatial resolu...

Applications in nuclear medicine and bio-medical engineering may profit using a Compton camera for imaging distributions of radio-isotope labelled tracers in organs and tissues. These applications require detection of photons using thick position-sensitive silicon sensors with the highest possible energy and good spatial resolution. In this paper,...

Electronically collimated gamma cameras based on Compton scattering in silicon pad sensors may improve imaging in nuclear medicine and biomedical research. The work described concentrates on the silicon pad detector for a prototype Compton camera. The silicon pad sensors are read out using low noise very large scale integration (VLSI) CMOS chips an...

Detectors using CdTe photoconductors are being used with great success in LEP to monitor the vertical beam emittance. They can withstand tremendous irradiation, of up to 10^13 Gy, from hard X-rays. For the LHC, monitors measuring the relative luminosity will be placed inside absorbers located 142 m from the interaction points, where they will recei...

The paper gives new results on the radiation tolerance of CVD diamond for irradiation with 300 MeV/c pions and 24 GeV/c protons. The measured charge signal spectrum is compared at several irradiation levels with the spectrum calculated by a model. Irradiation by particles causes damage leading to a decrease of the charge signal. However, both the m...

CVD diamond detectors are of interest for charged particle detection and tracking due to their high radiation tolerance. In this article we present, for the first time, beam test results from recently manufactured CVD diamond strip detectors and their behavior under low doses of electrons from a $\beta$-source and the performance before and after i...

CVD diamond is a radiation hard sensor material which may be used for charged particle tracking near the interaction region in experiments at high luminosity colliders. The goal of the work described here is to investigate the use of several detector planes made of CVD diamond strip sensors for charged particle tracking. Towards this end a tracking...

A very high resolution animal PET instrument was investigated using Monte Carlo simulations. The instrument consists of an outer cylindrical BGO scintillation detector surrounding an inner cylindrical solid state detector composed of 0.3 mm square silicon pads. The interaction point of gamma rays that scatter in the pad detector can be accurately l...

CVD diamond material was used to build position-sensitive detectors for single-charged particles to be employed in high-intensity physics experiments. To obtain position information, metal contacts shaped as strips or pixels are applied to the detector surface for one- or two-dimensional coordinate measurement. Strip detectors 2×4 cm2 in size with...

Diamond based pixel detectors are a promising radiation-hard technology for use at the LHC. We present first results on a CMS diamond pixel sensor. With a threshold setting of 2000 electrons, an average pixel efficiency of 78% was obtained for normally incident minimum ionizing particles.

CVD diamond is a radiation hard sensor material which may be used for charged particle tracking near the interaction region in experiments at high luminosity colliders. The goal of the work described here is to investigate the use of several detector planes made of CVD diamond strip sensors for charged particle tracking. Towards this end a tracking...

In this article we present the performance of recent chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond micro-strip sensors in beam tests. In addition we present the first comparison of a CVD diamond micro-strip sensor before and after proton irradiation.

The paper reviews measurements of the radiation tolerance of CVD diamond for irradiation with 24GeV/c protons, 300MeV/c pions and 1MeV neutrons. For proton and neutron irradiation, the measured charge signal spectrum is compared with the spectrum calculated by a model. Irradiation by particles causes radiation damage leading to a decrease of the ch...

Electronically collimated gamma cameras based on Compton scattering in silicon pad sensors may improve imaging in nuclear medicine and bio-medical research. The work described here concentrates on the silicon pad detector for a prototype Compton camera. The silicon pad sensors are read out using low noise VLSI CMOS chips and novel fast triggering c...

Diamond is a nearly ideal material for detecting ionising radiation. Its outstanding radiation hardness, fast charge collection and low leakage current allow it to be used in high radiation environments. These characteristics make diamond sensors particularly appealing for use in the next generation of pixel detectors. Over the last year, the RD42...

This paper reviews the development of CVD diamond pixel detectors. The preparation of the diamond pixel sensors for bump-bonding to the pixel readout electronics for the LHC and the results from beam tests carried out at CERN are described.

The paper reviews measurements of the radiation hardness of CVD diamond for 24 GeV/c proton irradiation at fluences up to 5*1015 protons/cm2. The results not only show radiation damage but also an annealing effect that is dominant at levels around 1015 protons/cm2. A model describing both effects is introduced, enabling a prediction of the distribu...

Recent progress on developing diamond-based sensors for vertex detection at high luminosity hadron colliders is described. Measurements of the performance of diamond sensors after irradiation to fluences of up to 5×10¹⁵ hadrons/cm² are shown. These indicate that diamond sensors will operate at distances as close as 5 cm from t...

CVD diamond shows promising properties for use as a position sensitive detector for experiments in the highest radiation areas at the Large Hadron Collider. In order to study the radiation hardn ess of diamond we exposed CVD diamond detector samples to 24~GeV/$c$ and 500~MeV protons up to a fluence of $5\times 10^{15}~p/{\rm cm^2}$. We measured the...

C-SPRINT is an electronically-collimated imaging system that has been built using pixelated, low-noise, position-sensitive Si as the first detector, and a NaI scintillation detector ring as the second detector. The system consists of a single 4.5×1.5×0.03 cm ³ Si pad detector module with ~2 keV energy resolution centered at the front fac...