Thick Silicon Detectors Research Articles

Monte Carlo and experimental evaluation of a Timepix4 compact gamma camera for coded aperture nuclear medicine imaging with depth resolution

PurposeWe designed a prototype compact gamma camera (MediPROBE4) for nuclear medicine tasks, including radio-guided surgery and sentinel lymph node imaging with a 99mTc radiotracer. We performed Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for image performance assessment, and first spectroscopic imaging tests with a 300 μm thick silicon detector. MethodsThe hand-held camera (1 kg weight) is based on a Timepix4 readout circuit for photon-counting, energy-sensitive, hybrid pixel detectors (24.6 × 28.2 mm2 sensitive area, 55 μm pixel pitch), developed by the Medipix4 Collaboration. The camera design adopts a CdTe detector (1 or 2 mm thick) bump-bonded to a Timepix4 readout chip and a coded aperture collimator with 0.25 mm diameter round holes made of 3D printed 1-mm thick tungsten. Image reconstruction is performed via autocorrelation deconvolution. ResultsGeant4 MC simulations showed that, for a 99mTc source in air, at 50 mm source-collimator distance, the estimated collimator sensitivity (4 × 10−4) is 292 times larger than that of a single hole in the mask; the system sensitivity is 0.22 cps/kBq (2 mm CdTe); the lateral spatial resolution is 1.7 mm FWHM. The estimated axial longitudinal resolution is 8.2 mm FWHM at 40 mm distance. First experimental tests with a 300 μm thick Silicon pixel detector bump-bonded to a Timepix4 chip and a high-resolution coded aperture collimator showed time-over-threshold and time-of-arrival capabilities with 241Am and 133Ba gamma-ray sources. ConclusionsMC simulations and validation lab tests showed the expected performance of the MediPROBE4 compact gamma camera for gamma-ray 3D imaging.

Clinical dose assessment for scanned carbon-ion radiotherapy using linear energy transfer measurements and Monte Carlo simulations

Objective. Dosimetric commissioning of treatment planning systems (TPS) focuses on validating the agreement of the physical dose with experimental data. For carbon-ion radiotherapy, the commissioning of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is necessary to predict the clinical outcome based on the radiation quality of the mixed radiation field. In this study, we proposed a approach for RBE commissioning using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, which was further strengthen by RBE validation based on linear energy transfer (LET) measurements. Approach. First, we tuned the MC simulation based on the results of dosimetric experiments including the beam ranges, beam sizes, and MU calibrations. Furthermore, we compared simulated results to measured depth- and radial-LET distributions of the 430 MeV u−1 carbon-ion spot beam with a 1.5 mm2, 36 μm thick silicon detector. The measured dose-averaged LET (LETd) and RBE were compared with the simulated results. The RBE was calculated based on the mixed beam model with linear-quadratic parameters depending on the LET. Finally, TPS-calculated clinical dose profiles were validated through the tuned MC-based calculations. Main results. A 10 keV μm−1 and 0.15 agreement for LETd and RBE, respectively, were found between simulation and measurement results obtained for a 2σ lateral size of 430 MeV u−1 carbon-ion spot beam in water. These results suggested that the tuned MC simulation can be used with acceptable precision for the RBE and LET calculations of carbon-ion spot beam within the clinical energy range. For physical and clinical doses, the TPS- and MC-based calculations showed good agreements within 1.0% at the centre of the spread-out Bragg peaks. Significance. The tuned MC simulation can accurately reproduce the actual carbon-ion beams, and it can be used to validate the physical and clinical dose distributions calculated by TPS. Moreover, the MC simulation can be used for dosimetric commissioning, including clinical doses, without LET measurements.

A position sensitive [formula omitted] coincidence technique for sample analysis with the upgraded PANDA device

PANDA (Particles And Non-Destructive Analysis) is measuring system developed for non-destructive analysis of samples for safety, security and safeguards. The capabilities of the PANDA device were expanded by the addition of a thick silicon detector for β particle detection. The upgraded device can now be used for position-sensitive α−γ and β−γ coincidence measurements of various kinds of radioactive samples. The capability of the PANDA device in using the β−γ coincidence technique was tested using a mixed source of 134Cs and 226Ra. In addition, the ability of PANDA to locate nuclides emitting β particles from samples was tested using a combined sample containing a mixed 134Cs and 226Ra source and a pure 226Ra source placed a few centimeters apart from each other. The construction, commissioning and testing of the upgraded PANDA device is discussed.

Properties of FBK UFSDs after neutron and proton irradiation up to 6⋅ 1015 neq/cm2

The properties of 60-μm thick Ultra-Fast Silicon Detectors (UFSD) detectors manufactured by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento (Italy) were tested before and after irradiation with minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) from a 90Sr β-source. This FBK production, called UFSD2, has UFSDs with gain layer made of Boron, Boron low-diffusion, Gallium, carbonated Boron and carbonated Gallium. The irradiation with neutrons took place at the TRIGA reactor in Ljubljana, while the proton irradiation took place at CERN SPS. The sensors were exposed to a neutron fluence of 4⋅1014, 8⋅1014, 1.5⋅1015, 3⋅1015, 6⋅ 1015 neq/cm2 and to a proton fluence of 9.6⋅ 1014 p/cm2, equivalent to a fluence of 6⋅ 1014 neq/cm2. The internal gain and the timing resolution were measured as a function of bias voltage at -20oC. The timing resolution was extracted from the time difference with a second calibrated UFSD in coincidence, using the constant fraction method for both.

Studies of the spectral and angular distributions of transition radiation using a silicon pixel sensor on a Timepix3 chip

X-ray transition radiation detectors (TRDs) are used for particle identification in both high energy physics and astroparticle physics. In most of the detectors, emission of the X-ray transition radiation (TR) starts at Lorentz factors above γ∼500 and reaches saturation at γ∼2÷3⋅103. However, many experiments require particle identification up to γ∼105, which is very difficult to achieve with conventional detectors. Semiconductor pixel detectors offer a unique opportunity for precise simultaneous measurements of spectral and angular parameters of TR photons. Test beam studies of the energy and the angular distributions of TR photons emitted by electrons and muons of different momenta crossing several types of radiators were performed at the CERN SPS with a 480 μm thick silicon detector bonded to a Timepix3 chip. High resolution images of the energy−angle phase space of the TR produced by different radiators were obtained and compared with MC simulations. The characteristic interference patterns are in agreement with the theoretical models with an unprecedented level of details. The studies presented in this paper also show that simultaneous measurements of both the energy and the emission angles of the TR X-rays could be used to enhance the particle identification performances of TRDs.

The determination of the astrophysical S-factor of the direct 18O(p,$\gamma$)19F capture by the ANC method

The depletion of 18O via the $(\mathrm{p},\gamma)$ capture competes with the $(\mathrm{p}, \alpha)$ capture during the CNO cycles in AGB stars. Despite the fact that the $(\mathrm{p}, \alpha)$ capture is dominant, the $ (\mathrm{p}, \gamma)$ can play an important role in mixing stages of the AGB star evolution. Here, we attempt to determine the astrophysical S-factor of the direct part of the 18O(p,$\gamma$)19F capture by the indirect method of asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANC). We measure the differential cross section of the transfer reaction 18O(3He, d)19F at a 3He energy of 24.6 MeV. The measurement was performed on the cyclotron of the CANAM infrastructure of NPI in Řež, Czech Republic, with the gas target consisting of the high-purity 18O (99.9%). The reaction products were measured by eight $ \Delta E$-E telescopes composed of thin and thick silicon surface-barrier detectors. The parameters of the optical model for the input channel were deduced by means of the code ECIS and the analysis of transfer reactions to 12 levels of the 19F nucleus up to 8.014 MeV was made by the code FRESCO. The deduced ANCs were then used to specify the direct contribution to the 18O(p,$\gamma$)19F capture process and were compared with the mutually different results of two works.

Comparison of 35 and [formula omitted]m thin HPK UFSD after neutron irradiation up to 6 [formula omitted] 1015 neq/cm2

We report results from the testing of 35 μm thick Ultra-Fast Silicon Detectors (UFSD) produced by Hamamatsu Photonics (HPK), Japan and the comparison of these new results to data reported in a previous paper on 50 μm thick UFSD produced by HPK. The 35 μm thick sensors were irradiated with neutrons to fluences of 1 ⋅ 1014, 1 ⋅ 1015, 3 ⋅ 1015, 6 ⋅ 1015 neq/cm2. The sensors were tested pre-irradiation and post-irradiation with minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) from a 90Sr β-source. The leakage current, capacitance, internal gain and the timing resolution were measured as a function of bias voltage at −20 °C and −27 °C. The timing resolution was extracted from the time difference with a second calibrated UFSD in coincidence, using the constant fraction discrimination method for both devices. Within the fluence range measured, 35 μm thick UFSD present advantages in timing accuracy, bias voltage and power consumption.

On determining dead layer and detector thicknesses for a position-sensitive silicon detector

In this work, two particular properties of the position-sensitive, thick silicon detectors (known as the “E” detectors) in the High Resolution Array (HiRA) are investigated: the thickness of the dead layer on the front of the detector, and the overall thickness of the detector itself. The dead layer thickness for each E detector in HiRA is extracted using a measurement of alpha particles emitted from a 212Pb pin source placed close to the detector surface. This procedure also allows for energy calibrations of the E detectors, which are otherwise inaccessible for alpha source calibration as each one is sandwiched between two other detectors. The E detector thickness is obtained from a combination of elastically scattered protons and an energy-loss calculation method. Results from these analyses agree with values provided by the manufacturer.

First measurement of S30+α resonant elastic scattering for the S30(α,p) reaction rate

Background: Type I x-ray bursts are the most frequent thermonuclear explosions in the galaxy, resulting from thermonuclear runaway on the surface of an accreting neutron star. The $^{30}$S($\alpha$,p) reaction plays a critical role in burst models, yet insufficient experimental information is available to calculate a reliable, precise rate for this reaction. Purpose: Our measurement was conducted to search for states in $^{34}$Ar and determine their quantum properties. In particular, natural-parity states with large $\alpha$-decay partial widths should dominate the stellar reaction rate. Method: We performed the first measurement of $^{30}$S+$\alpha$ resonant elastic scattering up to a center-of-mass energy of 5.5 MeV using a radioactive ion beam. The experiment utilized a thick gaseous active target system and silicon detector array in inverse kinematics. Results: We obtained an excitation function for $^{30}$S($\alpha$,$\alpha$) near $150^{\circ}$ in the center-of-mass frame. The experimental data were analyzed with an $R$-Matrix calculation, and we observed three new resonant patterns between 11.1 and 12.1 MeV, extracting their properties of resonance energy, widths, spin, and parity. Conclusions: We calculated the resonant thermonuclear reaction rate of $^{30}$S($\alpha$,p) based on all available experimental data of $^{34}$Ar and found an upper limit about one order of magnitude larger than a rate determined using a statistical model. The astrophysical impact of these two rates has been investigated through one-zone postprocessing type I x-ray burst calculations. We find that our new upper limit for the $^{30}$S($\alpha$,p)$^{33}$Cl rate significantly affects the predicted nuclear energy generation rate during the burst.

Response of a telescope proton recoil spectrometer based on a YAP: Ce scintillator to 5–80 MeV protons for applications to measurements of the fast neutron spectrum at the ChipIr irradiation facility

A telescope proton recoil spectrometer consisting of a 500μm thick silicon detector and a 2.54 cm × 2.54 cm YAP:Ce inorganic scintillator has been developed to measure the neutron spectrum at ChipIr, a fast neutron beam line that has recently started operations at the ISIS neutron source in the UK. The spectrometer has been tested with protons in the range 5–80 MeV at the INFN-LNS cyclotron accelerator. The light yield of the YAP scintillator to protons has been characterized relative to gamma-rays of same energies and found to scale linearly with the proton energy in the whole range. Background rejection using a ΔE-E technique by combining data from the silicon and YAP:Ce detectors has also been tested successfully.

Beam test results of a 16 ps timing system based on ultra-fast silicon detectors

In this paper we report on the timing resolution obtained in a beam test with pions of 180GeV/c momentum at CERN for the first production of 45µm thick Ultra-Fast Silicon Detectors (UFSD). UFSD are based on the Low-Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) design, employing n-on-p silicon sensors with internal charge multiplication due to the presence of a thin, low-resistivity diffusion layer below the junction. The UFSD used in this test had a pad area of 1.7mm2. The gain was measured to vary between 5 and 70 depending on the sensor bias voltage. The experimental setup included three UFSD and a fast trigger consisting of a quartz bar readout by a SiPM. The timing resolution was determined by doing Gaussian fits to the time-of-flight of the particles between one or more UFSD and the trigger counter. For a single UFSD the resolution was measured to be 34ps for a bias voltage of 200V, and 27ps for a bias voltage of 230V. For the combination of 3 UFSD the timing resolution was 20ps for a bias voltage of 200V, and 16ps for a bias voltage of 230V.

The astrophysical S-factor of the direct 18O(p, γ)19F capture by the ANC method

We attempted to determine the astrophysical S-factor of the direct part of the 18 O(p, γ )19 F capture by the indirect method of asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANC). We measured the differential cross section of the transfer reaction 18 O(3 He, d)19 F at a 3 He energy of 24.6 MeV. The measurement was realized on the cyclotron of the NPI in Řež, Czech Republic, with the gas target consisting of the high purity 18 O (99.9 %). The reaction products were measured by eight ∆E-E telescopes composed from thin and thick silicon surface-barrier detectors. The parameters of the optical model for the input channel were deduced by means of the code ECIS and the analysis of transfer reactions to 12 levels of the 19 F nucleus up to 8.014 MeV was made by the code FRESCO. The deduced ANCs were then used to specify the direct contribution to the 18 O(p, γ )19 F capture process and were compared with the mutually different results of two works.

100 ps time resolution with thin silicon pixel detectors and a SiGe HBT amplifier

A 100 μm thick silicon detector with 1 mm2 pad readout optimized for sub-nanosecond time resolution has been developed and tested. Coupled to a purposely developed amplifier based on SiGe HBT technology, this detector was characterized at the H8 beam line at the CERN SPS. An excellent time resolution of (106 ± 1) ps for silicon detectors was measured with minimum ionizing particles.

Characterization of large area, thick, and segmented silicon detectors for neutron [formula omitted] experiments

The “Nab” and “UCNB” collaborations have proposed to measure the correlation parameters in neutron β-decay at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos National Laboratory, using a novel detector design. Two large area, thick, hexagonal-segmented silicon detectors containing 127 pixels per detector will be used to detect the proton and electron from neutron decay. Both silicon detectors are connected by magnetic field lines of a few Tesla field strength, and set on an electrostatic potential, such that protons can be accelerated up to 30keV in order to be detected. Characteristics of the detector response to low energy conversion electrons and protons from 15keV to 35keV, including the evaluation of the dead layer thickness and other contributions to the pulse height defect for proton detection are presented for Si detectors of 0.5mm and 1mm of thickness.

Experimental study of the 18O(d, p)19O reaction and the ANC Method

The neutron capture rate 18O(n, γ)19O is important for analysis of nucleosynthesis in inhomogeneous Big Bang models and also for models of helium burning in massive red giant stars and AGB stars. Angular distributions of the 18O(d, p)19O reaction were measured at a deuteron energy of 16.3 MeV in NPI in Rez, Czech Republic, with the aim to determine Asymptotic Normalization Coefficients which can then be used for indirect determination of the direct contribution to the 18O(n, γ)19O process. In the experiment, the gas target with 18O isotope of high purity 99.9% was used thus eliminating any contaminating reactions. Reaction products were measured by the set of 8 ΔE-E telescopes consisting of thin and thick silicon surface-barrier detectors. Angular distributions of proton transfers corresponding to 6 levels of 19O up to the 4.1093 MeV excitation energy were determined. The analysis of angular distributions in the angular range from 6 to 64 degree including also the angular distribution of elastically scattered deuterons was carried out by means of ECIS and DWUCK codes. From the determined ANCs the direct contribution to the radiative capture 18O(n, γ)19O was deduced.

Compton imaging with thick Si and CZT detectors

A Compton imaging telescope has been constructed using a 0.2cm thick Silicon (Si) detector of active area 9.0×9.0cm2 and a pixelated Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detector of dimensions 2.0×2.0×0.5cm3. The Si detector is double sided with 64 strips per side in two orthogonal directions. The CZT detector has 64pixels of pitch 0.25cm. We used several ASICs (32 channel) to read out both detectors. A 137Cs source was used in the study. The energy deposited in the Si and CZT detectors and the points of interaction of the γ-ray in both detectors were read out. We varied the position of the source as well as the vertical separation between the Si and CZT detectors and measured the angular resolution of the source image for the different configurations. The best angular resolution (1σ) was 2.4°. Monte Carlo simulations were run for similar detector configurations and agree with the experimental results.

14C autoradiography with an energy-sensitive silicon pixel detector

The first performance tests are presented of a carbon-14 (14C) beta-particle digital autoradiography system with an energy-sensitive hybrid silicon pixel detector based on the Timepix readout circuit. Timepix was developed by the Medipix2 Collaboration and it is similar to the photon-counting Medipix2 circuit, except for an added time-based synchronization logic which allows derivation of energy information from the time-over-threshold signal. This feature permits direct energy measurements in each pixel of the detector array. Timepix is bump-bonded to a 300 µm thick silicon detector with 256 × 256 pixels of 55 µm pitch. Since an energetic beta-particle could release its kinetic energy in more than one detector pixel as it slows down in the semiconductor detector, an off-line image analysis procedure was adopted in which the single-particle cluster of hit pixels is recognized; its total energy is calculated and the position of interaction on the detector surface is attributed to the centre of the charge cluster. Measurements reported are detector sensitivity, (4.11 ± 0.03) × 10−3 cps mm−2 kBq−1 g, background level, (3.59 ± 0.01) × 10−5 cps mm−2, and minimum detectable activity, 0.0077 Bq. The spatial resolution is 76.9 µm full-width at half-maximum. These figures are compared with several digital imaging detectors for 14C beta-particle digital autoradiography.

Thick Silicon Double-Sided Strip Detectors for Low-Energy Small-Animal SPECT

This work presents characterization studies of thick silicon double-sided strip detectors for a high-resolution small-animal SPECT. The dimension of these detectors is 60.4 mm × 60.4 mm × 1 mm. There are 1024 strips on each side that give the coordinates of the photon interaction, with each strip processed by a separate ASIC channel. Our measurement shows that intrinsic spatial resolution equivalent to the 59 μm strip pitch is attainable. Good trigger uniformity can be achieved by proper setting of a 4-bit DAC in each ASIC channel to remove trigger threshold variations. This is particularly important for triggering at low energies. The thick silicon DSSD (Double-sided strip detector) shows high potential for small-animal SPECT.

Characterization of [formula omitted] thick epitaxial silicon detectors from different producers after proton irradiation

Epitaxial (EPI) silicon has recently been investigated for the development of radiation tolerant detectors for future high-luminosity HEP experiments. A study of 150 μ m thick EPI silicon diodes irradiated with 24 GeV / c protons up to a fluence of 3 × 10 15 p / cm 2 has been performed by means of Charge Collection Efficiency (CCE) measurements, investigations with the Transient Current Technique (TCT) and standard CV / IV characterizations. The aim of the work was to investigate the impact of radiation damage as well as the influence of the wafer processing on the material performance by comparing diodes from different manufacturers. The changes of CCE, full depletion voltage and leakage current as a function of fluence are reported. While the generation of leakage current due to irradiation is similar in all investigated series of detectors, a difference in the effective doping concentration can be observed after irradiation. In the CCE measurements an anomalous drop in performance was found even for diodes exposed to very low fluences ( 5 × 10 13 p / cm 2 ) in all measured series. This result was confirmed for one series of diodes in TCT measurements with an infrared laser. TCT measurements with a red laser showed no type inversion up to fluences of 3 × 10 15 p / cm 2 for n-type devices whereas p-type diodes undergo type inversion from p- to n-type for fluences higher than ≈ 2 × 10 14 p / cm 2 .

Timing in thick silicon detectors—An update

Thick silicon detectors are becoming widely used with reliable detectors available. They are often considered as a part of coincidence setup, where the timing resolution is of a crucial importance. Since over-biasing of thick detectors is sometimes unpractical, the timing resolution can be compromised in thick detectors. For this article the electric and Ramo fields in a 1.4 by 1.4 mm 2 pad size and 1 mm thick pad detector were calculated. GEANT4 was used to determine the tracks of the interaction electron produced in photon interactions, and the drift of ionized carriers in the detector was simulated. The signals were processed using a virtual preamplifier, a CR-RC shaper with a shaping time of 200 ns and a leading edge discriminator. The distributions of delay of the trigger after the event were compared to the measurements and a good agreement was found, allowing for additional noise in experimental setup. We proposed and evaluated an alternative readout strategy reading signals from nine nearest pads which greatly reduces the effects of inhomogeneous Ramo field on the timing resolution.