Quality Control of High-Speed Photon Detectors

The energy of the primary cosmic ray can be calculated from fluorescence photons detected by fluorescence telescope. However, since we can not know the true energy of primary cosmic ray, it is difficult to calibrate between number of photons and energy directly. In the Telescope Array project, we proposed to create pseudo cosmic ray events by using accelerated electron beam which is injected in the air. We are developping a small linear accelerator at KEK in Japan. The maximum energy is 40MeV, and the intensity is 6.4mJ/pulse. Almost all of main components on beam line and RF system were constructed until this summer. We also stadied the electron beam dynamics and inteaction, and evaluated the accuracy of the determinating beam energy, beam current, air shower, detector response by using PARMELA and GEANT4. We proposed the methods of energy calibration and measurement of fluorescence yield.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2009

The full-energy peak efficiency calibration and the energy resolution measurements of the 2 in: Â 2 in:

2008

We are reporting on research, development and indoor tests of the photon counting detectors that are being developed in our lab for future space missions related to precise time transfer by laser pulses. The detectors are optimized for an on-board detection and precision time tagging of an incoming laser pulse. The key parameters of the detectors are: detection delay stability, broad operation temperature range, capability to operate under high background photon flux, radiation tolerance, mass and power consumption and overall ruggedness. The timing resolution, detection quantum efficiency and the dark count rate are of lower importance. The most challenging requirements are the detection delay stability of the order of units to tens of picoseconds within the temperature range of -30 to +50 C and the detection delay stability under the conditions of extremely high background photon flux well exceeding 10 8 photons per second hitting the detector active area. The detectors are based on the K14 SPAD chips. The new active quenching and gating electronics has been developed, it enables the operation in both gated and non gated modes. In a gated mode the detector is capable to operatedetect individual photonsunder the condition of background photon flux exceeding 10 9 (!) photons per second.

International Symposium on Photoelectronic Detection and Imaging 2011: Advances in Imaging Detectors and Applications, 2011

We are presenting a review of the solid state photon counters developed in our laboratories and their applications in various space related projects. The solid state photon counters are the avalanche photodiode structures which are operated in so called Geiger mode, they are pulse biased above their breakdown voltage. In such a stage the first charge carrier generated by a photon or some noise event will trigger an avalanche multiplication of carriers and hence the macroscopic current on the output contacts. The external circuit is used to terminate the avalanche and to set up the bias for the new detection. We have prepared these photon counters on the basis of the common semiconducting materials Silicon, Germanium, SiGe mixture, GaAs, GaP, and GaAsP. The most attractive for applications in space projects is the structure on Si we have prepared using the K14 technology. They have several interesting features in comparison to similar structures prepared in other groups: they do allow detection both single or multiple photon signals and still maintaining picosecond timing resolution and detection delay stability. The detection semiconducting structures are highly tolerant with respect to radiation, what makes the extremely attractive for space applications. For satellite laser ranging we are providing detector package having quantum efficiency reaching 40% at the wavelength of 532 nm, its timing resolution is reaching 20 to 5 picoseconds for the detected signal strength of single to 3000 photons per pulse. The detection delay is stable within 10 ps over an entire dynamical range and the background photon flux reaching 30 Mc/s. The implementation of these detectors into the satellite laser ranging network (along with appropriate laser and timing technologies) resulted in the ranging precision to the space objects on the millimeter level. For the space missions to planets we have prepared photon counting detectors for operation in laser altimeter and atmospheric Lidar. Recently the operation of the Laser Time Transfer experiments on board of the Chinese navigation satellites Compass and on board the French satellite Jason-2 is relying on our photon counters as well. The plans for the future space application will be presented. Figure 14 Engineering model of the detector package of the European Laser Timing space mission.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods, 1973

The response of the GSFC High Energy Cosmic Ray Detector has been studled usmg electrons m the energy range 5 4 to 18 GeV. A serm-emplrlcal analytic form has been developed to determme the startmg pomts and the energies of electron-Induced cascade showers

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1999

In this paper we present a new calibration system for particle telescopes including multipulse generator and digital controller. The calibration system generates synchronized pulses of variable height for every detector channel on the telescope. The control system is based on a commercial microcontroller linked to a personal computer through an RS-232 bidirectional line. The aim of the device is to perform laboratory calibration of multi-detector telescopes prior to calibration at accelerator. This task includes evaluation of linearity and resolution of each detector channel, as well as coincidence logic. The heights of the pulses sent to the detectors are obtained by Monte Carlo simulation of telescope response to a particle #ux of any desired geometry and composition.

Journal of Instrumentation, 2016

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2004

Current Evaluation of Performance: • Spatial Resolution: ~100 µm (∼2 channels), probably better • Data readout: 200 µs with buffer memory (in progress) • Linearity: linear up to 1.4 MHz/Channel → 1.1 GHz total • Size: small enough to fit existing spectrometers (Scienta, PHI,…) • Stability and Reliability: working at the ALS BL4 since 06/29/03 • Bakeable up to 100 degree C → UHV compatible Some future experiments: • Minutes → seconds photoelectron diffraction/holography for surfaces & nanostructures, time-resolved valence-band spectroscopy • Time-resolved surface reaction studies: steady-state or pump-probe • Time-resolved magnetization studies, incl. MCD • Other applications: time-resolved near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure • Laser spectroscopy with visible/IR photocathode on MCPs Motivation Many experiments at 3 rd (soon 4 th) generation synchrotron radiation sources only possible with GHz-rate linear detection of electrons or photons, leading to: Publications J.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2000

Six semiconductor detectors (Si(Li) and HPGe) are calibrated in the 1}10 keV energy range by means of tuneable monochromatised synchrotron radiation. Signi"cant improvement in the quality of the response is observed in very recent detectors. A peak shape calibration is established using a modi"ed Hypermet-type function to model the detector response for each energy step; electron e!ects induce individual background and tail shapes for each detector material.

2021

detector under loosely controlled conditions N. H. Duy Thanh, ∗ N. V. Chi Lan, S. Cao, 2, † T. V. Ngoc, 3 N. Khoa, N. T. Hong Van, and P. T. Quyen 3 Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Education, ICISE, Quy Nhon, Vietnam. High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Albion College, Albion, MI, United States Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam. Abstract Multi-Pixel Photon Counter (MPPC) has been recently emerged and realized as a great type of Silicon Photomultiplier to replace or compensate for the conventional vacuum-based Photomultiplier tubes. MPPC provides many striking features such as high electrical gain, outstanding photon detection efficiency, fast timing response, immunity to the magnetic field, low-voltage operation, compactness, portability, and cost-effectiveness. The r...

Journal of Instrumentation, 2020

Booster Neutrino Beam, a large cosmic rays background (∼ 11 kHz) will be present. To reduce it, precise timing information is needed from the new light detection system, based on 360 large area photomultipliers. For precise time measurements a calibration system based on a fast laser diode and a system based on one optical switch, several 1 × 10 fused fiber splitters, ultra-high vacuum optical feedthroughs and multimode optical patchcords up to 20 m long, to distribute the laser pulses to each single PMT, was designed. The time evolution of the PMTs' gain/timing and possibly their initial calibrations at a time t 0 will be done by using this system. The expected time resolution of this calibration system will be around 100 ps. The laboratory tests needed to set up the system are reported. K : Neutrino detectors; Time projection chambers; Detector alignment and calibration methods. 1Corresponding author.

2006

In recent years EAG has implemented a variety of high-resolution, large format, photon-counting MCP detectors in space instrumentation for satellite FUSE, GALEX, IMAGE, SOHO, HST-COS, rocket, and shuttle payloads. Our scheme of choice has been delay line readouts encoding photon event position centroids, by determination of the difference in arrival time of the event charge at the two ends of a distributed resistive-capacitive (RC) delay line. Our most commonly used delay line configuration is the cross delay line (XDL). In its simplest form the delay-line encoding electronics consists of a fast amplifier for each end of the delay line, followed by time-to-digital converters (TDC's). We have achieved resolutions of < 25 mum in tests over 65 mm x 65 mm (3k x3k resolution elements) with excellent linearity. Using high speed TDC's, we have been able to encode event positions for random photon rates of ~1 MHz, while time tagging events using the MCP output signal to better ...

Measurement Science and Technology, 2018

High-energy cosmic rays are one of the primary sources of information for scientists investigating the elementary properties of matter. The need to study cosmic rays, with energies thousands of times larger than those encountered in particle accelerators, led to the development of modern detection hardware and experimental methodologies. We present a low power, low complexity data acquisition (DAQ) system with 100 ps resolution, suitable for particle and radiation detection experiments. The system uses a Multiple-Time-over-Threshold (MToT) technique for the treatment of the output signal of Photo Multiplier Tubes (PMTs). The use of three thresholds compensates for the slewing effects and offers a more accurate measurement of the PMT pulses' width. For the evaluation of the pulse the system uses comparators and a Time-to-Digital (TDC) converter, whereas the pulses are time-stamped using the GPS signal. The prototype card is analyzed for its noise behavior and is tested to verify its performance. The system has been designed for the HEllenic LYceum Cosmic Observatories Network (HELYCON) Extensive Air Showers (EAS) detector.

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, 1992

Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2010

The readout of a cheap scintillating fibre was implemented by means of a new solid-state device (Silicon Photomultiplier, SiPM), able to detect very tiny light pulses. The GEANT3.21 code was adopted to simulate the counting detection efficiency and the energy deposited inside the scintillating fibre due to the radiation of a radioactive gamma source. The results obtained show the capability to detect gamma rays producing as few as 3-4 photoelectrons. The new devices may have many applications in radioactivity metrology.