High-speed FPGA-based pulse-height analyzer for high resolution X-ray spectroscopy

Abstract

A complete four channel acquisition system for high resolution spectroscopy has been designed and realized. The analog section is composed of four semi-Gaussian shaping amplifiers with two software-selectable shaping times. The shaping times (150 and 450 ns) were chosen to perform either high rate or best resolution XRF measurements with state-of-the-art multielement silicon drift detector. The pulses’ amplitudes are caught by four largebandwidth peak-stretchers whose outputs are multiplexed into a single 10 MHz 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). A fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) operating at 24 MHz (or 48 MHz) clock frequency controls the whole process and stores the four spectra in the on-chip RAM, thus guaranteeing a maximum counting rate per bin of 332 kcps and an overall counting rate in excess of 4 Mcps. The system interfaces the host PC by means of the enhanced parallel port with a custom made control software for data visualization and analysis as in a conventional MCA system. If more than four channels have to be managed, various boards can be operated in parallel on the same EPP bus

A digital energy spectroscopy based on FIR filter

“…Integrating the data storage and digital processing in one device will greatly simplify the system and allow applications of parallel algorithm that make the digital processing much faster. Therefore, it has become the main direction to use FPGA in performing digital signal processing in the development of digital spectroscopy [7].…”

“…Digital electronics is only for final data conversion, acquisition and storage [4,5]. In recent years, accompanied with rapid development of the high-speed ADC, real-time operating system and microprocessors, digital signal processing technology has been much more attractive in the field of spectrum measurements [6,7]. Comparing with the traditional analog method, the digital method can be used to realize much more complicated electronic system.…”

Elemental mapping by means of an ultra-fast XRF spectrometer based on a novel high-performance monolithic array of Silicon Drift Detectors

“…Fig. 1a shows also the four-channel data acquisition (DAQ) system that has been designed and realized for this spectrometer [7]. It provides low-noise and high-speed performance which makes it ideal for the high-resolution and high rate measurements in elemental mapping XRF.…”

Development of Compact Pulse Height Analyzer Modules Based on FPGA for E-Learning Type Exercises on Nuclear Reactor

“…And high-speed and high-resolution spectroscopy systems have been realized by means of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and high-speed ADCs [5][6][7] . These digital processing devices are very effective in the development of intelligent and convenient nuclear instrumentation systems because the systems are reconfigurable and can be optimized to meet purposes at a low cost.…”