You are here

High Speed, Enhanced Resolution, Soft X-ray Detector

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: N/A
Contract: 1 R43 GM50044-1A1,
Agency Tracking Number: 25087
Amount: $74,998.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1994
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
2513 Charleston Road, Suite 20
Mountain View, CA 94043
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 William Warburton
 (415) 903-9980
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Energy-dispersive x-ray detectors (EDDs) are heavily used in biological research at synchrotronradiation facilities, particularly for absorption spectroscopy in fluorescence mode on dilute samples.Current research relies on semiconductor EDD spectrometers, which typically become pileup limited atfairly low count rates for the biologically important elements P, S and CI, due to the long electronicprocessing times required to obtain acceptable energy resolution for these soft x-rays. The presentresearch proposes to develop an alternative detector based on electron multiplication technology.Although electron multipliers are very low noise amplifiers and are capable of very high counting rates,presently available scintillator-photomultiplier (PMT) detectors are not competitive with semiconductorEDDs due to their extremely poor energy resolution, which arises from statistical fluctuations in theinefficient conversion between x-rays and electrons for amplification by the PMT. We are thereforegoing to investigate a novel technology for increasing the efficiency of the conversion process. Initialcalculations suggest that if this conversion process can be made to work close to its theoreticalefficiency, it would be possible to construct detectors having energy resolution superior to semiconduc-tor EDDs for energies below 4 keV and capable of throughputs in excess of 106 counts/sec. Becauseno complex electronics would be required to process these detectors' output pulses, they would alsobe relatively inexpensive to array for even higher count rate capability.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government