Digital Silicon Photomultiplier Array Readout Integrated Circuits
Award Information
Agency: Department of Energy
Branch: N/A
Contract: DE-FG02-11ER90165
Agency Tracking Number: 97664
Amount:
$150,000.00
Phase:
Phase I
Program:
SBIR
Awards Year:
2011
Solicitation Year:
2011
Solicitation Topic Code:
63 a
Solicitation Number:
DE-FOA-0000413
Small Business Information
15985 NW Schendel Avenue, Beaverton, OR, 97006-6703
DUNS:
124348652
HUBZone Owned:
N
Woman Owned:
N
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged:
N
Principal Investigator
Name: Adam Lee
Title: Dr.
Phone: (971) 223-5646
Email: adaml@voxtel-inc.com
Title: Dr.
Phone: (971) 223-5646
Email: adaml@voxtel-inc.com
Business Contact
Name: George Williams
Title: Mr.
Phone: (971) 223-5646
Email: georgew@voxtel-inc.com
Title: Mr.
Phone: (971) 223-5646
Email: georgew@voxtel-inc.com
Research Institution
Name: Stub
Abstract
Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have recently gained considerable interest as replacements for photomultiplier tubes. Like photomultiplier tubes, they are capable of measuring extremely low light levels, to the point of being able to detect single photons. However, compared to photomultiplier tubes, SiPMs offer the further solidstate advantages of lower operating voltages, ruggedness, smaller physical size, lighter weight and excellent immunity to magnetic fields; SiPMs can also achieve GHz count rates. Nevertheless, SiPM detector subelements are tied to one another in parallel, putting considerable constraints on the array size, pixel resolution, and dark count performance. In these arrays, passive quenching of the avalanche events does little to mediate the occurrence of after pulse events. These factors all limit the signaltonoise performance of SiPM detectors. Furthermore, the design of current SiPM devices also limits the integration of onfocalplane digital processing. The lowpower CMOS electronics necessary to control and operate the detectors of a silicon Geiger mode avalanche photodiode (GmAPD) array will be developed. The digital readout integrated circuit (ROIC) consists of inpixel circuits that allow each photon detection event to be converted directly into an ultrahighspeed digital pulse that can be directly counted by onchip timing circuitry. When integrated with the GmAPD array, the digital ROIC will allow the silicon photomultiplier to be operated as an all digital device (digitalin/digitalout). As a result, faster and more accurate photon counts are achievable with extremely well defined timing of the photon detection events. Through the programmable digital command register, pixels can be adjusted for optimal performance, thereby improving detector performance and reliability, and decreasing cost. * Information listed above is at the time of submission. *