Microsystem for Remote Sensing of High Energy Radiation with Associated Extremely Low Flux Densities

摘要

This paper presents a microsystem for remote sensing of high energy radiation in extremely low flux density conditions. With wide deployment in mind, potential applications range from nuclear non-proliferation, to hospital radiation-safety. The daunting challenge is the low level of photon flux densities - emerging from a Scintillation Crystal (SC) on to a ～1 mm-square detector, which are a factor of 10000 or so lower than those acceptable to recently reported photonic chips (including 'single-photon detection' chips), due to a combination of low Lux, small detector size, and short duration SC output pulses - on the order of 1 us. These challenges are attempted to be overcome by the design of an innovative 'System on a Chip' type microchip, with high detector sensitivity, and effective coupling from the SC to the photodetector. The microchip houses a tiny n+ diff p-epi photodiode (PD) as well as the associated analog amplification and other related circuitry, all fabricated in 0.5micron, 3-metal 2-poly CMOS technology. The amplification, together with pulse-shaping of the photocurrent-induced voltage signal, is achieved through a tandem of two capacitively coupled, double-cascode amplifiers. Included in the paper are theoretical estimates and experimental results.