Analog readout system with charge division type output

Abstract

Charge division readout provides a relatively simple electronic solution for data readout of position sensitive radiation detectors. Conventional charge division usually consists of some charge division media connected to the detector outputs to provide proportional charge division between two division chain outputs. Although offering some advantages such as simplicity and the reduction of the number of analog outputs, it reduces the detector spatial resolution and image quality, because of signal to noise reduction from the attenuation of the signal before reaching the amplifiers. An analog readout system with functionally the same output as common charge division, but without a division chain connected to the detector outputs before signal amplification was designed and evaluated. This readout system operates as a multi-channel analog signal converter which converts signals from multi-channel output position sensitive devices such as multianode PMTs or gamma cameras built of PSPMT arrays etc. to two per coordinate analog outputs with same amplitude correlation as common charge division position readout.