Readout System Research Articles

Development of apparatus for mean-lifetime measurement of cosmic-ray muons using plastic scintillation detectors and FLASH-ADC/FPGA-based readout electronics

Introduction: This paper presents the development and results of an apparatus for measuring the mean lifetime of cosmic-ray muons. Methods: The apparatus uses three plastic scintillation detectors and a readout electronics system based on Flash Analog Digital Converter (Flash-ADC) and Embedded Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The readout system has 8-bit resolution and a 125 Msample/sec sampling rate. The system's trigger and data collection are controlled through a computer interface based on LabVIEWTM. The readout electronics are calibrated with an accuracy of 8 nsec/TDC channel. Results: Over 6000 events were recorded during the measurements performed at ground level using aluminum as the muon stopping material, and the muon decay time spectrum was obtained and fit with a combination of two exponential components and a constant background. The mean lifetimes of negative and positive muons were determined. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the mean lifetimes of negative and positive muons in aluminum are 0.70 ± 0.24 µsec and 2.05 ± 0.16 µsec, respectively.

Simultaneous Detection of Pressure and Bending Using a Microwave Sensor With Tag and Reader Structure

Wearable technology and soft robotics have experienced significant growth in the past decade. In these applications, flexible and highly sensitive pressure and bending sensors are essential for providing feedback to control and operate devices. Despite the development of many pressure and bending sensors, the challenge remains to develop one single sensor with high sensitivity that can simultaneously measure pressure and bending, which allows for a more compact system and simplified control. In addition, wireless sensing is desirable so that the sensor and the readout system can be placed separately at convenient locations. This paper presents a new wireless microwave sensor to meet the needs. The sensor uses a resonator-based design, where pressure and bending changes are reflected as resonance frequency shifts and amplitude changes in the transmission response spectrum, respectively. This “one for two” approach allows for selective sensing and easy fabrication of the sensor, with results displayed on a cost-effective handheld device. The sensor and the reader are electromagnetically coupled without the need for physical contact offering wireless sensing. With a sensitivity of 3.39 MHz kPa1, this wireless sensor design offers a promising solution for wearable devices and soft robots due to its flexibility, small size, and low fabrication cost.

A Low-Cost Handheld Reconfigurable Impedimetric Readout System for Diagnostics of Viral Infections

This paper presents a portable impedimetric biosensor for detecting infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 Infections. A bio-ready sensing electrode functionalized with SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody was employed to quantitatively convert the concentration of nucleocapsid protein (N-protein) into impedance changes. In this paper, we proposed a readout system with a dynamic input range of 200 Ω to 1 MΩ magnitude and 0 to 180° phase. The resolution of this device is 1% and 6.5° for measuring the magnitude and phase, respectively. Herein we demonstrate and discuss the proposed system’s functionality, sensitivity, and selectivity using the clinical swab samples. As per these results, this readout system is suitable for the detection of N-protein ranging up to 10,000 pg/mL with a resolution of 56 fg/mL. The proposed impedimetric sensing system can be adopted for the detection of infectious diseases in the future. This low-cost (<$80) device using off-the-shelf is a unique candidate for batch production purposes during urgent pandemic situations.

Development of a large array of Silicon Drift Detectors for high-rate synchrotron fluorescence spectroscopy

An array of small-area Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD), named Hera, has been developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in the past few years. Its primary application is high-rate spectroscopy at synchrotrons. Each SDD pixel is a 1 mm × 1 mm square to match the footprint of the original diode-based pixel detector called Maia, which was developed for the same application. The replacement of the diode with an SDD allows for better energy resolution at short shaping times and an increased stability of the detector. 32, 96, and 384-channel arrays were designed and fabricated and achieved a Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) as low as 176 eV at 5.9 keV with peaking time of 1 μs at -13°C. The sensor design, simulation, fabrication, its readout system, and its spectroscopic performance are reported.

Next-Generation Microfluidics for Biomedical Research and Healthcare Applications.

Microfluidic systems offer versatile biomedical tools and methods to enhance human convenience and health. Advances in these systems enables next-generation microfluidics that integrates automation, manipulation, and smart readout systems, as well as design and three-dimensional (3D) printing for precise production of microchannels and other microstructures rapidly and with great flexibility. These 3D-printed microfluidic platforms not only control the complex fluid behavior for various biomedical applications, but also serve as microconduits for building 3D tissue constructs-an integral component of advanced drug development, toxicity assessment, and accurate disease modeling. Furthermore, the integration of other emerging technologies, such as advanced microscopy and robotics, enables the spatiotemporal manipulation and high-throughput screening of cell physiology within precisely controlled microenvironments. Notably, the portability and high precision automation capabilities in these integrated systems facilitate rapid experimentation and data acquisition to help deepen our understanding of complex biological systems and their behaviors. While certain challenges, including material compatibility, scaling, and standardization still exist, the integration with artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, smart materials, and miniaturization holds tremendous promise in reshaping traditional microfluidic approaches. This transformative potential, when integrated with advanced technologies, has the potential to revolutionize biomedical research and healthcare applications, ultimately benefiting human health. This review highlights the advances in the field and emphasizes the critical role of the next generation microfluidic systems in advancing biomedical research, point-of-care diagnostics, and healthcare systems.

Oxidative stress coping capacity (OSC) value: Development and validation of an in vitro measurement method for blood plasma using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and vitamin C.

Oxidative stress as a driver of disease is reinforcing the trend towards supplementation with antioxidants. While antioxidants positively influence the redox status when applied at physiological doses, higher concentrations may have pro-oxidative effects. Precise assessment methods for testing the supply of antioxidants are lacking. Using in-situ-irradiation as stressor and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy as readout system for formed radicals, a stress response assessment method was developed, using protein solutions and plasma samples from transfusion medicine. The method was validated in a double-blind placebo-controlled in vivo cross-over pilot study in blood plasma samples of individuals before and after vitamin C supplementation. Reference measurements were performed for the exogenous antioxidants β-carotene and vitamin C, and glutathione as an endogenous representative. Malondialdehyde was studied for oxidative stress indication. Protein solutions without antioxidants showed a linear increase in radical concentration during irradiation. The in-vitro-addition of vitamin C or plasma samples from subjects displayed two slopes (m1, m2) for radical production, whereby m1 represented the amount of antioxidants and proteins, m2 only the protein content. These two slopes in combination with the intervening transition area (T) were used to calculate the oxidative stress coping capacity (OSC), which correlated positively with vitamin C concentration in blood plasma, while oxidative stress biomarkers showed only fluctuations within their reference ranges. Furthermore, a selective radical quenching mechanism for vitamin C was observed: the proportion of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the plasma samples was degraded in dependence to the vitamin C concentration ingested. The proportion of lipid oxygen species (LOS) remained stable while the ascorbyl radical increased with higher vitamin C intake. OSC may represent a sensitive method to detect treatment effects on the redox status in vivo in future validation and treatment studies, and potentially in clinical routine.

SLAC microresonator RF (SMuRF) electronics: A tone-tracking readout system for superconducting microwave resonator arrays.

We describe the newest generation of the SLAC Microresonator RF (SMuRF) electronics, a warm digital control and readout system for microwave-frequency resonator-based cryogenic detector and multiplexer systems, such as microwave superconducting quantum interference device multiplexers (μmux) or microwave kinetic inductance detectors. Ultra-sensitive measurements in particle physics and astronomy increasingly rely on large arrays of cryogenic sensors, which in turn necessitate highly multiplexed readout and accompanying room-temperature electronics. Microwave-frequency resonators are a popular tool for cryogenic multiplexing, with the potential to multiplex thousands of detector channels on one readout line. The SMuRF system provides the capability for reading out up to 3328 channels across a 4-8GHz bandwidth. Notably, the SMuRF system is unique in its implementation of a closed-loop tone-tracking algorithm that minimizes RF power transmitted to the cold amplifier, substantially relaxing system linearity requirements and effective noise from intermodulation products. Here, we present a description of the hardware, firmware, and software systems of the SMuRF electronics, comparing achieved performance with science-driven design requirements. In particular, we focus on the case of large-channel-count, low-bandwidth applications, but the system has been easily reconfigured for high-bandwidth applications. The system described here has been successfully deployed in lab settings and field sites around the world and is baselined for use on upcoming large-scale observatories.

A readout system for monolithic pixel sensor prototypes towards the upgrade of the ALICE Inner Tracking System

The ALICE experiment at CERN is developing an innovative third iteration of the three innermost layers of the Inner Tracking System (ITS3) to be installed during the Long Shutdown 3 of the LHC (2026–28) [1]. Based on a commercial 65 nm CMOS imaging technology by TowerJazz [2], it consists of truly cylindrical wafer-scale sensors that can be installed as close as 18 mm to the interaction point. In order to validate the technology, several test chips were produced in a first submission named Multi-Layer Reticle 1 (MLR1). This contribution will describe the development, features, and performance of a custom test system for some of the prototypes in MLR1, namely Analogue and Digital Pixel Test Structures (APTS and DPTS, respectively) and pixel matrices with rolling shutter readout (CE65).

Characterization of 3.2 Gbps readout in 65 nm CMOS technology

A new class of photon-counting pixel detectors allows for capturing of an image in several photon energy bins in one shot. A decreased pixel pitch and an increased number of energy bins are needed to enhance the spatial and spectral resolution of the detector. This led to new requirements for the readout systems and their bandwidths, as more data is generated for the same detection area. Fast differential serial communication enables high-speed data rates, thus providing an ideal solution to transfer large amounts of data generated by the detector’s front-end electronics. However, its implementation provides extra challenges. This work introduces a novel high-speed serial readout designed in a 65 nm CMOS technology that will be used in the future photon-counting X-ray imaging detectors. The design of the serial transmitter is presented together with the characterization of jitter and channel performance.

An FPGA Charge-to-Digital Converter Based on Voltage-Referenced Receivers for PET Applications

A field programmable gate array (FPGA) voltage-referenced standard receiver based charge-to-digital converter (QDC) was proposed. The QDC is based on a linear discharge scheme. In the linear discharge circuit, typically, a low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) receiver serves as a voltage comparator. Our proposed scheme takes advantage of voltage-referenced standard in the FPGA instead of the LVDS standard, which maximizes the capability of multichannel and multifunctionality. The linearity differences were compared between the voltage-referenced receivers and the LVDS receiver. To validate the scheme for radiation detector application, a 32-channel electronics prototype based on the proposed structure was developed. A positron emission tomography (PET) detector module was built. The detector is made up of a 15 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 15 LYSO array directly coupled with two silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) at two ends. The mean energy resolution for single crystal at the center can reach 17.9%. The linear discharge scheme based on voltage-referenced receivers provides a promising method for a compact, multichannel electronics readout system for radiation detector application.

A simulation methodology for superconducting qubit readout fidelity

Qubit readout is a critical part of any quantum computer including the superconducting-qubit-based one. The readout fidelity is affected by the readout pulse width, readout pulse energy, resonator design, qubit design, qubit-resonator coupling, and the noise generated along the readout path. It is thus important to model and predict the fidelity based on various design parameters along the readout path. In this work, a simulation methodology for superconducting qubit readout fidelity is proposed and implemented using Matlab and Ansys HFSS to allow co-optimization in the readout path. As an example, parameters are taken from an actual superconducting-qubit-based quantum computer. Without any calibrations, the model is able to predict the readout error of the system as a function of the readout pulse power. It is found that the system can still maintain high fidelity even if the input power is reduced by 7 dB. This can be used to guide the design and optimization of a superconducting qubit readout system.

FELIX: Readout upgrade for the ATLAS Trigger DAQ system in HL-LHC

The High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will start to operate in 2029 (Run 4) with an instantaneous luminosity five times higher than the LHC nominal value, meaning the ATLAS experiment will be operated in an increasingly harsh collision environment. This has motivated a series of upgrades, to be installed during the long experimental shutdown period from 2026 to 2029. One key change among these is the upgrade of the Front-End Link eXchange (FELIX) system, which was developed for the third major LHC data taking period (Run 3) from 2022 to 2025 to improve the capacity and the flexibility of the detector readout system for selected ATLAS systems. After the HL-LHC upgrade, all ATLAS systems will be read out via the FELIX system, with sub-detector specific processing taking place in a common software processing framework.

Test beam results of the fiber-sampling dual-readout calorimeter

The dual-readout calorimetric technique reconstructs the event-by-event electromagnetic fraction of the hadronic shower through the simultaneous measurement of scintillating (S) and Cherenkov (C) light produced by the shower development. The new generation of prototypes, based on Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) readout, adds unprecedented granularity to the well-known high-energy resolution. A highly granular prototype (10×10×100cm3), designed to fully contain electromagnetic showers, was recently built and qualified on beam. It consists of 9 modules, each made of 320 brass capillaries equipped with both scintillating and clear fibers. All the fibers of the central module are coupled with SiPMs, while the PMTs are used for the others. Furthermore, the new FERS-System, designed by Caen to exploit the CITIROC1A ASICs performances, is at the core of the SiPM readout.The recent test beam at DESY allowed us to qualify the readout system and define a procedure to calibrate the SiPM response from ADC to ph-e in a wide dynamic range. We measured the number of ph-e per GeV for scintillating and Cherenkov light together with the calorimetric performances in the energy range of 1–6 GeV. This work reports the system qualification and the test beam results regarding SiPM calibration.

Development and operation of the CGEM Inner Tracker for the BESIII experiment

The extension of data acquisition for the BEijing Spectrometer (BESIII) experiment until at least 2030 has resulted in upgrades to both the accelerator and the detector. An innovative Cylindrical Gas Electron Multiplier (CGEM) is under construction to upgrade the inner tracker, which is suffering from aging. The CGEM Inner Tracker (CGEM-IT) was designed to restore efficiency and enhance the reconstruction of the secondary vertexes position. Reconstruction in the magnetic field of 1 T requires an analog readout and an electronic contribution to the time resolution better than 5 ns. The entire system consists of about 10,000 electronic channels and must maintain a peak rate of 14 kHz/strip of signal hits for the innermost layer of the CGEM-IT. The CGEM readout system is based on the innovative TIGER ASIC, which is manufactured using 110 nm CMOS technology. A special readout chain consisting of GEM Read Out Cards (GEMROC) was developed for data acquisition. Two of three layers, equipped with the final electronics, have been operating in Beijing since January 2020 collecting cosmic ray data in a test facility, remotely controlled by the Italian group due to the pandemic situation. Since it was not possible to perform further tests on the cylindrical detector, in July 2021, a test beam was conducted at CERN with the final electronics configuration on a small prototype consisting of four triple-GEM planar detectors. In this presentation, the general status of the project CGEM-IT will be presented, with particular emphasis on the results of the test beam data collection.

ATLAS ITk tracking and readout performance

The ATLAS Inner Detector will be replaced with a new all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) designed for the challenging environment of the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The ITk layout of the pixel detector was recently successfully optimized to improve tracking performance and object reconstruction. The data rates of the ITk pixel detector have been evaluated to establish that the detector readout system can read out data at the design L0 trigger frequency of 1 MHz.

Ultrahigh-Resolution Wireless Capacitance Readout Based on a Single Real Mode in a Perturbed PT -Symmetric Electronic Trimer Sandwich

High-performance interrogation of an inductor-capacitor microsensor has been a long-standing challenge due to the limited size of the sensor. Parity-time ($PT$) symmetry, an intriguing concept originated from quantum physics, has been utilized to improve the spectral resolution and sensitivity of the conventional readout circuit, while the $PT$-symmetry condition has to be satisfied. In this work, a sandwich-type wireless capacitance readout mechanism based on perturbed $PT$-symmetric electronic trimer without manual tuning of the reader circuit is proposed. Theoretical eigenvalue analysis by solving the system equations shows that the system exhibits single real mode in weak coupling regime whose eigenfrequency changes in response to the capacitance of the neutral resonator. Furthermore, the proposed readout system exhibits wider readout capacitance range compared to the standard $PT$-symmetry-based system while retaining higher $Q$ factor compared to the conventional readout method, which has been validated with the experimental prototype based on printed circuit board. Our work not only enriches the underlying theory of non-Hermitian physics, but also shows potential applications in scenarios where longer interrogation distance is required, such as implanted medical devices, parameter detection in harsh environment, etc.

Development of a high-rate scalable readout system for gaseous detectors

The RD51 collaboration developed the Scalable Readout System (SRS) as part of its R&D activities on Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors. This common multi-purpose readout system allows to read out small R&D detectors (0.2k channels) up to mid-sized experiments with multiple detectors (2.5k to 5k channels). To cope with increased demands on detectors, electronics and readout speed, a new front-end ASIC—the VMM3a—was integrated into the SRS. This led to the development of a scalable, self-triggered high-rate readout system that provides energy, space and time information of the interacting particles at the same time.

A new brain dedicated PET scanner with 4D detector information

Abstract In this article, we present the geometrical design and preliminary results of a high sensitivity organ-specific Positron Emission Tomography (PET) system dedicated to the study of the human brain. The system, called 4D-PET, will allow accurate imaging of brain studies due to its expected high sensitivity, high 3D spatial resolution and, by including precise photon time of flight (TOF) information, a boosted signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The 4D-PET system incorporates an innovative detector design based on crystal slabs (semi-monolithic) that enables accurate 3D photon impact positioning (including photon Depth of Interaction (DOI) measurement), while providing a precise determination of the photon arrival time to the detector. The detector includes a novel readout system that reduces the number of detector signals in a ratio of 4:1 thus, alleviating complexity and cost. The analog output signals are fed to the TOFPET2 ASIC (PETsys) for scalability purposes. The present manuscript reports the evaluation of the 4D-PET detector, achieving best values 3D resolution values of &lt;1.6 mm (pixelated axis), 2.7±0.5 mm (monolithic axis) and 3.4±1.1 (DOI axis) mm; 359 ± 7 ps coincidence time resolution (CTR); 10.2±1.5 % energy resolution; and sensitivity of 16.2% at the center of the scanner (simulated). Moreover, a comprehensive description of the 4D-PET architecture (that includes 320 detectors), some pictures of its mechanical assembly, and simulations on the expected image quality are provided.

Optical System Based on Nafion Membrane for the Detection of Ammonia in Blood Serum Samples

The blood ammonia (NH3) level is one of the most important hepatic biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of liver pathologies and infections. In this work, we developed an optimized optical biosensing method to extract and quantify the ammonia contained in complex-matrix samples emulating the blood serum. First, the approach was tested with solutions of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and ammonia chloride. Then, further trials were carried out with solutions of fetal bovine serum (FBS). The ammonia was extracted from the tested samples through a customized cell, and it was optically quantified by exploiting the indophenol reaction. The extraction cell included a cation-exchange membrane in Nafion, which was chemically pre-treated through cleaning procedures of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to keep a basic pH in the ammonia solution and to avoid contaminants in the membrane. From the NH3 solution, the indophenol reaction produced light-reactive indophenol dye molecules, which were used as colorimetric indicators. Through absorbance measurements of the indophenol dye solution at 670 nm wavelength, we were able to detect and quantify the ammonia level in the samples both with a spectrophotometer and a customized miniaturized read-out system, obtaining a detection limit of 0.029 µmol/mL.

A portable analog front-end system for label-free sensing of proteins using nanowell array impedance sensors

Proteins are useful biomarkers for a wide range of applications such as cancer detection, discovery of vaccines, and determining exposure to viruses and pathogens. Here, we present a low-noise front-end analog circuit interface towards development of a portable readout system for the label-free sensing of proteins using Nanowell array impedance sensing with a form factor of approximately 35cm2. The electronic interface consists of a low-noise lock-in amplifier enabling reliable detection of changes in impedance as low as 0.1% and thus detection of proteins down to the picoMolar level. The sensitivity of our system is comparable to that of a commercial bench-top impedance spectroscope when using the same sensors. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the potential of using impedance sensing as a portable, low-cost, and reliable method of detecting proteins, thus inching us closer to a Point-of-Care (POC) personalized health monitoring system. We have demonstrated the utility of our system to detect antibodies at various concentrations and protein (45 pM IL-6) in PBS, however, our system has the capability to be used for assaying various biomarkers including proteins, cytokines, virus molecules and antibodies in a portable setting.