A new detector system for low energy X-ray fluorescence coupled with soft X-ray microscopy: First tests and characterization

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2016-04, Vol.816, p.113-118
• Main Authors: Gianoncelli, Alessandra, Bufon, Jernej, Ahangarianabhari, Mahdi, Altissimo, Matteo, Bellutti, Pierluigi, Bertuccio, Giuseppe, Borghes, Roberto, Carrato, Sergio, Cautero, Giuseppe, Fabiani, Sergio, Giacomini, Gabriele, Giuressi, Dario, Kourousias, George, Menk, Ralf Hendrik, Picciotto, Antonino, Piemonte, Claudio, Rachevski, Alexandre, Rashevskaya, Irina, Stolfa, Andrea, Vacchi, Andrea, Zampa, Gianluigi, Zampa, Nicola, Zorzi, Nicola
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Detectors; Drift; Front-end electronics for detector readout; Joining; Low energy; Low energy XRF (LEXRF); Low leakage current SDDs; Multi-element detectors and associated VLSI electronics; Silicon; Soft X-rays; Spectrometers; X-ray fluorescence; X-ray fluorescence (XRF) systems
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2016.01.076

The last decades have witnessed substantial efforts in the development of several detector technologies for X-ray fluorescence (XRF) applications. In spite of the increasing trend towards performing, cost-effective and reliable XRF systems, detectors for soft X-ray spectroscopy still remain a challenge, requiring further study, engineering and customization in order to yield effective and efficient systems. In this paper we report on the development, first characterization and tests of a novel multielement detector system based on low leakage current silicon drift detectors (SDD) coupled to ultra low noise custom CMOS preamplifiers for synchrotron-based low energy XRF. This new system exhibits the potential for improving the count rate by at least an order of magnitude resulting in ten-fold shorter dwell time at an energy resolution similar to that of single element silicon drift detectors.