112-Pixel Arrays of High-Efficiency STJ X-Ray Detectors

Friedrich, S.; Harris, Jared D.; Warburton, W. K.; Carpenter, M.; Hall, John A.; Cantor, Robin

doi:10.1007/s10909-014-1151-3

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Because the gap is much smaller (meV-scale in STJs vs. a few eV in SDDs), the number of pairs created is several orders of magnitude higher and the energy resolution, which scales as E/∆E ∝ N pairs ∝ 1/ ∆ gap (assuming similar Fano factors 87 of around 0.1), is much better. STJs can also generally count faster than most existing X-ray TESs 88 because their decay mechanism is electronic rather than thermal. STJ elements are roughly the same size as TESs.…”

Section: Nsls: Synchrotron Absorption and Emission Spectroscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…STJ elements are roughly the same size as TESs. They have been built into arrays of the scale of one hundred detectors, 88,89 but the lack of a practical multiplexedreadout scheme means that future scaling beyond kilopixel arrays is anticipated to be more difficult for STJs than for TESs. Present STJ-based spectrometers employ real-time signal processing, while TES spectrometers are still being advanced toward that goal.…”

Section: Nsls: Synchrotron Absorption and Emission Spectroscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

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A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

Doriese

Abbamonte

Alpert

et al. 2017

Review of Scientific Instruments

120

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We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, such as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy-resolved scattering; accelerator-based spectroscopy of hadronic atoms and particle-induced-emission spectroscopy; laboratory-based time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy with a tabletop, broadband source; and laboratory-based metrology of X-ray-emission lines. Here, we discuss the design, construction, and operation of our TES spectrometers and show first-light measurements from the various systems. Finally, because X-ray-TES technology continues to mature, we discuss improvements to array size, energy resolution, and counting speed that we anticipate in our next generation of TES-X-ray spectrometers and beyond.

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Section: Nsls: Synchrotron Absorption and Emission Spectroscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nsls: Synchrotron Absorption and Emission Spectroscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

Doriese

Abbamonte

Alpert

et al. 2017

Review of Scientific Instruments

120

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recently, large-scale arrays of the STJs have been developed to resolve the above disadvantages, and energy-dispersive X-ray detectors based on the STJ array have simultaneously demonstrated excellent energy resolution of less than 10 eV, large detection area of more than 1 mm 2 , and high counting rate capability of about 1 Mcps in the soft X-ray energy range. [8][9][10] Therefore, by using STJ arrays as X-ray detectors in EDX analyzers, it should be possible to overcome the abovementioned difficulties to realize both the high throughputs of SDDs and the high energy resolution of WDSs. In this work, we have developed a prototype SEM-EDX analyzer utilizing STJs (SC-SEM-EDX) and demonstrated its analytical performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analyzer employing superconducting tunnel junction array detectors toward nanometer‐scale elemental mapping

et al. 2017

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Energy‐dispersive X‐ray detectors based on superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) exhibit at best energy resolution of about 5 eV in full width at half‐maximum for soft X‐rays with energy levels of less than ~1 keV as well as a large sensitive area (>1 mm2) and a high counting rate capability (>500 kcps). We have developed an energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analyzer combined with a scanning electron microscope and STJs to realize elemental mapping with high energy‐resolving power. To improve the collection efficiency of the fluorescence X‐rays, a polycapillary collimating X‐ray lens was installed in the analyzer. The overall system efficiency of the analyzer was more than 1 × 10−4 sr in the soft X‐ray range. Its counting rate performance for the N‐Kα line was 9.4 cps/nA, near that of setups comprising an electron probe microanalyzer and wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometers (WDSs). By improving the X‐ray optics, the counting rate is expected to be increased more than 600‐fold. The energy resolution of the developed analyzer was assessed according to the full width at half‐maximum of the N‐Kα peak, which was measured to be 10 eV, indicating an energy resolution about 7 times better than that of conventional X‐ray spectroscopy analyzers employing silicon drift detectors (SDDs). These results indicate that the improved analyzer employing STJs can realize both the high throughputs of SDDs and the high energy resolution of WDSs. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Therefore, to achieve good detection efficiencies, they are generally deployed in arrays to achieve larger solid detection angles. Arrays of 100+ elements have been produced and arrays of 1000+ elements are being contemplated [5][6][7]. Experience with smaller arrays, of up to 32 elements, which mimics the experience with similar sized HPGe detector arrays 25 years ago [8], makes it clear that instrumenting these arrays using multiple copies of single channel processing electronics causes unacceptable operational difficulties for array sizes much is excess of 30 detectors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High density processing electronics for superconducting tunnel junction x-ray detector arrays

Warburton

Harris

Friedrich

2015

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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Superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) are excellent soft x-ray (100-2,000 eV) detectors, particularly for synchrotron applications, because of their ability to obtain energy resolutions below 10 eV at count rates approaching 10 kcps. In order to achieve useful solid detection angles with these very small detectors, they are typically deployed in large arrayscurrently with 100+ elements, but with 1000 elements being contemplated. In this paper we review a 5year effort to develop compact, computer controlled low-noise processing electronics for STJ detector arrays, focusing on the major issues encountered and our solutions to them. Of particular interest are our preamplifier design, which can set the STJ operating points under computer control and achieve 2.7 eV energy resolution; our low noise power supply, which produces only 2 nV/√Hz noise at the preamplifier's critical cascode node; our digital processing card that digitizes and digitally processes 32 channels; and an STJ I-V curve scanning algorithm that computes noise as a function of offset voltage, allowing an optimum operating point to be easily selected. With 32 preamplifiers laid out on a custom 3U EuroCard, and the 32 channel digital card in a 3U PXI card format, electronics for a 128 channel array occupy only two small

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112-Pixel Arrays of High-Efficiency STJ X-Ray Detectors

Abstract: We are developing the next generation of high-resolution high-speed X-ray detectors based on superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs

Cited by 18 publications

References 9 publications

A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

Development of an energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analyzer employing superconducting tunnel junction array detectors toward nanometer‐scale elemental mapping

High density processing electronics for superconducting tunnel junction x-ray detector arrays

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