1. |
- Echelmeier, A., et al.
(author)
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Segmented flow generator for serial crystallography at the European X-ray free electron laser
- 2020
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In: Nature Communications. - : Nature Research. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) with X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) allows structure determination of membrane proteins and time-resolved crystallography. Common liquid sample delivery continuously jets the protein crystal suspension into the path of the XFEL, wasting a vast amount of sample due to the pulsed nature of all current XFEL sources. The European XFEL (EuXFEL) delivers femtosecond (fs) X-ray pulses in trains spaced 100 ms apart whereas pulses within trains are currently separated by 889 ns. Therefore, continuous sample delivery via fast jets wastes >99% of sample. Here, we introduce a microfluidic device delivering crystal laden droplets segmented with an immiscible oil reducing sample waste and demonstrate droplet injection at the EuXFEL compatible with high pressure liquid delivery of an SFX experiment. While achieving ~60% reduction in sample waste, we determine the structure of the enzyme 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate-8-phosphate synthase from microcrystals delivered in droplets revealing distinct structural features not previously reported.
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2. |
- Wunderer, C. B., et al.
(author)
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Detector developments at DESY
- 2016
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In: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. - 0909-0495 .- 1600-5775. ; 23, s. 111-117
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the increased brilliance of state-of-the-art synchrotron radiation sources and the advent of free-electron lasers (FELs) enabling revolutionary science with EUV to X-ray photons comes an urgent need for suitable photon imaging detectors. Requirements include high frame rates, very large dynamic range, single-photon sensitivity with low probability of false positives and (multi)-megapixels. At DESY, one ongoing development project-in collaboration with RAL/STFC, Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, Diamond, and Pohang Accelerator Laboratory-is the CMOS-based soft X-ray imager PERCIVAL. PERCIVAL is a monolithic active-pixel sensor back-thinned to access its primary energy range of 250 eV to 1 keV with target efficiencies above 90%. According to preliminary specifications, the roughly 10 cm × 10 cm, 3.5k × 3.7k monolithic sensor will operate at frame rates up to 120 Hz (commensurate with most FELs) and use multiple gains within 27 μm pixels to measure 1 to ∼ 100000 (500 eV) simultaneously arriving photons. DESY is also leading the development of the AGIPD, a high-speed detector based on hybrid pixel technology intended for use at the European XFEL. This system is being developed in collaboration with PSI, University of Hamburg, and University of Bonn. The AGIPD allows singlepulse imaging at 4.5 MHz frame rate into a 352-frame buffer, with a dynamic range allowing single-photon detection and detection of more than 10000 photons at 12.4 keV in the same image. Modules of 65k pixels each are configured to make up (multi)megapixel cameras. This review describes the AGIPD and the PERCIVAL concepts and systems, including some recent results and a summary of their current status. It also gives a short overview over other FEL-relevant developments where the Photon Science Detector Group at DESY is involved. © 2016 International Union of Crystallography.
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3. |
- Allahgholi, A., et al.
(author)
-
AGIPD 1.0 : The high-speed high dynamic range readout ASIC for the adaptive gain integrating pixel detector at the European XFEL
- 2014
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In: 2014 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, NSS/MIC 2014. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781479960972
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AGIPD is a hybrid pixel X-ray detector developed by a collaboration between Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Paul-Scherrer-Institute (PSI), University of Hamburg and the University of Bonn. The detector is designed to comply with the requirements of the European XFEL. The radiation tolerant Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is designed with the following highlights: high dynamic range, spanning from single photon sensitivity up to 104 × 12.4 keV photons, achieved by the use of dynamic gain switching, auto-selecting one of 3 gains of the charge sensitive pre-amplifier. To cope with the unique features of the European XFEL source, image data is stored in 352 analogue memory cells per pixel. The selected gain is stored in the same way and depth, encoded as one of 3 voltage levels. These memories are operated in random-access mode at 4.5MHz frame rate. Data is read out on a row-by-row basis via multiplexers to the DAQ system for digitisation during the 99.4ms gap between the bunch trains of the European XFEL. The AGIPD 1.0 ASIC features 64×64 pixels with a pixel area of 200×200 μm2. It is bump-bonded to a 500 μm thick silicon sensor. The principles of the chip architecture were proven in different experiments and the ASIC characterization was performed with a series of development prototypes. The mechanical concept of the detector system was developed in close contact with the XFEL beamline scientists to ensure a seamless integration into the beamline setup and is currently being manufactured. The first single module system was successfully tested at APS1 the high dynamic range allows imaging of the direct synchrotron beam along with single photon sensitivity and burst imaging of 352 subsequent frames synchronized to the source.
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4. |
- Allahgholi, A., et al.
(author)
-
AGIPD, a high dynamic range fast detector for the European XFEL
- 2015
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AGIPD-(Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector) is a hybrid pixel X-ray detector developed by a collaboration between Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Paul-Scherrer-Institut (PSI), University of Hamburg and the University of Bonn. The detector is designed to comply with the requirements of the European XFEL. The radiation tolerant Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is designed with the following highlights: high dynamic range, spanning from single photon sensitivity up to 10(4) 12.5keV photons, achieved by the use of the dynamic gain switching technique using 3 possible gains of the charge sensitive preamplifier. In order to store the image data, the ASIC incorporates 352 analog memory cells per pixel, allowing also to store 3 voltage levels corresponding to the selected gain. It is operated in random-access mode at 4.5MHz frame rate. The data acquisition is done during the 99.4ms between the bunch trains. The AGIPD has a pixel area of 200 x 200 m m(2) and a 500 m m thick silicon sensor is used. The architecture principles were proven in different experiments and the ASIC characterization was done with a series of development prototypes. The mechanical concept was developed in the close contact with the XFEL beamline scientists and is now being manufactured. A first single module system was successfully tested at APS.
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5. |
- Allahgholi, A., et al.
(author)
-
AGIPD, the electronics for a high speed X-ray imager at the Eu-XFEL
- 2014
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In: Proceedings of Science. - : Proceedings of Science (PoS).
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The AGIPD (Adaptive Gain Integrated Pixel Detector) X-ray imaging camera will be operated at the X-ray Free Electron Laser, Eu-XFEL, under construction in Hamburg, Germany. Key parameters are 1 million 200 μm square pixels, single 12.4 keV photon detection and a dynamic range to 10 000/pixel/image. The developed sensors, ASICs, PCB-electronics and FPGA firmware acquire individual images per bunch at 27 000 bunches/s, packed into 10 bunch-trains/s with a bunch separation of 222 ns. Bunch-trains are handled by 352 analogue storage cells within each pixel of the ASIC and written during the 0.6msec train delivery. Therefore AGIPD can store 3520 images/s from the delivered 27 000 bunches/s. Random addressing provides reusability of each cell after an image has been declared as low-quality, so that good images can be selected. Digitization is performed between trains (99.4 msec). In the paper all functional blocks are introduced. The details concentrate on the DAQ-chain PCB-electronics and the slow control. A dense area of 1024 ADC-channels, each with a pickup-noise filtering and sampling of up to 50 MS/s/ADC and a serial output of 700 Mbit/s/ADC. FPGAs operate the ASICs synchronized to the bunch structure and collect the bit streams from 64 ADCs/FPGA. Pre-sorted data is transmitted on 10 GbE links out of the camera head using the time between trains. The control and monitoring of the camera with 600 A current consumption is based on a micro-controller and I2C bus with an addressing architecture allowing many devices and identical modules. The high currents require planned return paths at the system level. First experimental experience with the constructed components will be presented.
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6. |
- Allahgholi, A., et al.
(author)
-
Front end ASIC for AGIPD, a high dynamic range fast detector for the European XFEL
- 2016
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 11:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector (AGIPD) is a hybrid pixel X-ray detector for the European-XFEL. One of the detector's important parts is the radiation tolerant front end ASIC fulfilling the European-XFEL requirements: high dynamic range-from sensitivity to single 12.5keV-photons up to 104 photons. It is implemented using the dynamic gain switching technique with three possible gains of the charge sensitive preamplifier. Each pixel can store up to 352 images in memory operated in random-access mode at >= 4.5MHz frame rate. An external vetoing may be applied to overwrite unwanted frames.
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7. |
- Allahgholi, A., et al.
(author)
-
The adaptive gain integrating pixel detector
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 11:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The adaptive gain integrating pixel detector (AGIPD) is a development of a collaboration between Deustsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), the Paul-Scherrer-Institute (PSI), the University of Hamburg and the University of Bonn. The detector is designed to cope with the demanding challenges of the European XFEL. Therefore it comes along with an adaptive gain stage allowing a high dynamic range, spanning from single photon sensitivity to 10(4) x 12.4 keV photons and 352 analogue memory cells per pixel. The aim of this report is to briefly explain the concepts of the AGIPD electronics and mechanics and then present recent experiments demonstrating the functionality of its key features.
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8. |
- Allahgholi, A., et al.
(author)
-
The AGIPD 1.0 ASIC : Random access high frame rate, high dynamic range X-ray camera readout for the European XFEL
- 2015
-
In: 2015 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, NSS/MIC 2015. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781467398626
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The European XFEL is an extremely brilliant Free Electron Laser Source with a very demanding pulse structure: trains of 2700 X-Ray pulses are repeated at 10 Hz. The pulses inside the train are spaced by 220 ns and each one contains up to 1012 photons of 12.4 keV, while being ≤ 100 fs in length. AGIPD (Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector) is a hybrid 1M-pixel detector developed by DESY, PSI, and the Universities of Bonn and Hamburg to cope with these properties. Thus the readout ASIC has to provide not only single photon sensitivity and a dynamic range ≳ 104 photons/pixel in the same image but also a memory for as many images of a pulse train as possible for delayed readout prior to the next train. The AGIPD 1.0 ASIC uses a 130 nm CMOS technology and radiation tolerant techniques to withstand the radiation damage incurred by the high impinging photon flux. Each ASIC contains 64 × 64 pixels of 200μmχ200μm. The circuit of each pixel contains a charge sensitive preamplifier with threefold switchable gain, a discriminator for an adaptive gain selection, and a correlated double sampling (CDS) stage to remove reset and low-frequency noise components. The output of the CDS, as well as the dynamically selected gain is sampled in a capacitor-based analogue memory for 352 samples, which occupies about 80% of a pixels area. For readout each pixel features a charge sensitive buffer. A control circuit with a command based interface provides random access to the memory and controls the row-wise readout of the data via multiplexers to four differential analogue ports. The AGIPD 1.0 full scale ASIC has been received back from the foundry in fall of 2013. Since then it has been extensively characterised also with a sensor as a single chip and in 2 × 8-chip modules for the AGIPD 1 Mpix detector. We present the design of the AGIPD 1.0 ASIC along with supporting results, also from beam tests at PETRA III and APS, and show changes incorporated in the recently taped out AGIPD 1.1 ASIC upgrade.
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9. |
- Greiffenberg, D., et al.
(author)
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Towards AGIPD1.0 : Optimization of the dynamic range and investigation of a pixel input protection
- 2014
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 9:6, s. Art. no. P06001-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AGIPD is a charge integrating, hybrid pixel readout ASIC, which is under development for the European XFEL [1,2]. A dynamic gain switching logic at the output of the preamplifier (preamp) is used to provide single photon resolution as well as covering a dynamic range of at least 104·12.4 keV photons [3,4]. Moreover, at each point of the dynamic range the electronics noise should be lower than the Poisson fluctuations, which is especially challenging at the points of gain switching. This paper reports on the progress of the chip design on the way to the first full-scale chip AGIPD1.0, focusing on the optimization of the dynamic range and the implementation of protection circuits at the preamplifier input to avoid pixel destruction due to high intense spots. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl.
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10. |
- Marras, A., et al.
(author)
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Vertically integrated circuits : Example of an application to an x-ray detector
- 2014
-
In: 2014 21st IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems, ICECS 2014. - 9781479942428 ; , s. 243-246
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Replacing planar circuits with vertically integrated ones allows to increment circuit functionalities on a given silicon area, while avoiding some of the problems associated with aggressively scaled technology nodes. This is particularly true for applications likely to subject circuits to high doses of ionizing radiation (such of x-ray detectors to be used in synchrotron rings and Free Electron Lasers), since the degradation mechanisms of some of the innovative materials to be used in most recent nodes have not been fully characterized yet. In this paper, an evolution is presented for the readout ASIC of a pixelated x-ray detector to be used for such applications. The readout circuit is distributed in a stack of two vertically interconnected tiers, thus doubling the circuitry resident in each pixel without increasing the pixel pitch (and thus compromising spatial resolution of the detector). A first prototype has been designed and manufactured, using a commercial 130 nm CMOS technology. Design issues are discussed, along with preliminary characterization results. © 2014 IEEE.
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11. |
- Mezza, D., et al.
(author)
-
Calibration methods for charge integrating detectors
- 2022
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 1024
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since the introduction of the extremely intense X-ray free electron lasers, the need for low noise, high dynamic range and potentially fast charge integrating detectors has increased significantly. Among all the problems that research and development groups have to face in the development of such detectors, their calibration represents one of the most challenging and the collaboration between the detector development and user groups is of fundamental importance. The main challenge is to develop a calibration suite that is capable to test the detector over a wide dynamic range, with a high granularity and a very high linearity, together with a certain radiation tolerance and the possibility to well define the timings and the synchronization with the detector. Practical considerations have also to be made like the possibility to calibrate the detector in a reasonable time, the availability of the calibration source at the experimental place and so on. Such a calibration test suite is often not represented by a single source but by several sources that can cover different parts of the dynamic range and that need to be cross calibrated to have a final calibration curve. In this respect an essential part of the calibration is also to develop a mathematical model that allows calibrating the entire dynamic range, taking into account features that are calibration source and/or detector specific. The aim of this contribution is to compare the calibration for the AGIPD detector using several calibration sources such as internal current source, backside pulsing, IR pulsed laser, LED light and mono-energetic protons. The mathematical procedure used to calibrate the different sources will be discussed in great detail showing how to take into account a few shortcomings (like pixel coupling) that are common for many charge integrating detectors. This work has been carried out in the frame of the AGIPD project for the European X-ray Free Electron Laser.
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12. |
- Mezza, D., et al.
(author)
-
Characterization of AGIPD1.0 : The full scale chip
- 2016
-
In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 838, s. 39-46
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The AGIPD (adaptive gain integrating pixel detector) detector is a high frame rate (4.5 MHz) and high dynamic range (up to 104 ·12.4 keV photons) detector with single photon resolution (down to 4 keV taking 5σ as limit and lowest noise settings) developed for the European XFEL (XFEL.EU). This work is focused on the characterization of AGIPD1.0, which is the first full scale version of the chip. The chip is 64×64 pixels and each pixel has a size of 200×200 μm2. Each pixel can store up to 352 images at a rate of 4.5 MHz (corresponding to 220 ns). A detailed characterization of the AGIPD1.0 chip has been performed in order to assess the main performance of the ASIC in terms of gain, noise, speed and dynamic range. From the measurements presented in this paper a good uniformity of the gain, a noise around 320 e− (rms) in standard mode and around 240 e− (rms) in high gain mode has been measured. Furthermore a detailed discussion about the non-linear behavior after the gain switching is presented with both experimental results and simulations.
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13. |
- Mezza, D., et al.
(author)
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Characterization of the AGIPD1.1 readout chip and improvements with respect to AGIPD1.0
- 2019
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 945
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AGIPD, the Adaptive Gain Integrating Pixel Detector, is a hybrid detector with a frame rate of 4.5 MHz, a dynamic range up to 104⋅ 12.4 keV photons, as well as single photon resolution, developed for the European XFEL (Eu.XFEL). The final 1 Mpixel detector system consists of 16 tiled modules each one with 16 readout chips. The single ASIC is 64 x 64 pixels, each with a size of 200 x 200 μm2. Each pixel can store up to 352 images. This work is focused on the characterization of AGIPD1.1, the second version of the full scale ASIC, and the improvements with respect to AGIPD1.0. From the measurements presented in this paper we show that the flaws observed in AGIPD1.0 (i.e. ghosting, crosstalk, slow readout speed) have been fixed in AGIPD1.1. In addition the main performance parameters such as noise, dynamic range and so on were measured for the new version of the ASIC and will be summarized.
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14. |
- Mezza, D., et al.
(author)
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New calibration circuitry and concept for AGIPD
- 2016
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 11:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AGIPD (adaptive gain integrating pixel detector) is a detector system developed for the European XFEL (XFEL.EU), which is currently being constructed in Hamburg, Germany. The XFEL.EU will operate with bunch trains at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Each train consists of 2700 bunches with a temporal separation of 220 ns corresponding to a rate of 4.5 MHz. Each photon pulse has a duration of < 100 fs (rms) and contains up to 1012 photons in an energy range between 0.25 and 25 keV . In order to cope with the large dynamic range, the first stage of each bump-bonded AGIPD ASIC is a charge sensitive preamplifier with three different gain settings that are dynamically switched during the charge integration. Dynamic gain switching allows single photon resolution in the high gain stage and can cover a dynamic range of 104 × 12.4 keV photons in the low gain stage. The burst structure of the bunch trains forces to have an intermediate in-pixel storage of the signals. The full scale chip has 352 in-pixel storage cells inside the pixel area of 200 × 200 μm2. This contribution will report on the measurements done with the new calibration circuitry of the AGIPD1.1 chip (without sensor). These results will be compared with the old version of the chip (AGIPD1.0). A new calibration method (that is not AGIPD specific) will also be shown.
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15. |
- Trunk, Ulrich, et al.
(author)
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AGIPD : A multi megapixel, multi megahertz X-ray camera for the European XFEL
- 2017
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In: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9781510611009
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AGIPD is a hybrid pixel detector developed by DESY, PSI, and the Universities of Bonn and Hamburg. It is targeted for use at the European XFEL, a source with unique properties: a train of up to 2700 pulses is repeated at 10 Hz rate. The pulses inside a train are ≤100fs long and separated by 220 ns, containing up to 1012 photons of 12.4 keV each. The readout ASICs with 64 x 64 pixels each have to cope with these properties: Single photon sensitivity and a dynamic range up to 104 photons/pixel in the same image as well as storage for as many as possible images of a pulse train for delayed readout, prior to the next train. The high impinging photon flux also requires a very radiation hard design of sensor and ASIC, which uses 130 nm CMOS technology and radiation tolerant techniques. The signal path inside a pixel of the ASIC consists of a charge sensitive preamplifier with 3 individual gains, adaptively selected by a subsequent discriminator. The preamp also feeds to a correlated double sampling stage, which writes to an analogue memory to record 352 frames. It is random-access, so it can be used most efficiently by overwriting bad or empty images. Encoded gain information is stored to a similar memory. Readout of these memories is via a common charge sensitive amplifier in each pixel, and multiplexers on four differential ports. Operation of the ASIC is controlled via a command interface, using 3 LVDS lines. It also serves to configure the chip's operational parameters and timings.
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