10 years of the Medipix2 Collaboration

Abstract

The Medipix2 Collaboration was started officially in September 1999 with the aim of disseminating hybrid pixel detector technology from High Energy Physics to other fields. The Collaboration was initially composed of 13 European research institutes. Over the ensuing 10 years the Collaboration expanded to reach a peak of 17 member institutes. Although our main scientific focus has been the development of the Medipix2 and Timepix single photon counting pixel detector readout chips the Collaboration members have expanded the range of applications for the technology to many more scientific fields than initially foreseen. We have signed a number of Technology Transfer Agreements during that time, most notably with PANalytical, whose commercially available PIXcel detector is based on the second version of the Medipix2 chip. This paper will review the history of the Collaboration covering as much as possible the main technical highlights. The success of the Collaboration is testimony to the willingness of a large number of groups and individuals to pool efforts for a common purpose. The paper will also cover some of those aspects and summarize the lessons learnt.