SBIR/STTR Award attributes
New capabilities of modern synchrotron x-ray sources enable unprecedented science and insight into the natural world. Unfortunately, the ability to detect x-rays from light source experiments has been continually surpassed by upgraded sources. A key deficiency is the lack of detectors that can image at very fast rates while maintaining single x-ray sensitivity, high instantaneous count rate, and wide dynamic range. There are detectors that meet some of these requirements, but no commercially available detector meets them all simultaneously, leaving scientists unable to fully utilize x-ray source capabilities to answer fundamental questions. The proposed program will advance the development of a next generation novel wide dynamic range x-ray mixed-mode pixel array detector. The first generation of this mixed-mode detector was commercialized and has demonstrated single x-ray sensitivity with a dynamic range of greater 107 photons per frame per pixel with a frame rate greater than 1 kHz. The technology will be enhanced by developing a new application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that allows for a ten-fold frame rate increase. The primary objective of the proposed program is to leverage the laboratory research and development completed to-date and fabricate a next generation application specific integrated circuit for use in a commercially available detector. This Phase I program will evaluate existing second-generation MM-PAD ASIC technologies and design and test a commercial MM-PAD-2 ASIC with ≥ 10 kHz frame capability. Phase I will culminate in a conceptual design for a commercial prototype to be produced in Phase II along with a product road map for future product releases. A next generation, robust and commercially supported detector with the increased performance specifications will enable new x-ray scattering experiments to take full advantage of upgraded light sources. This will lead to higher resolution and sharper contrast diffraction patterns, and higher resolution structure determination. These advances will provide the user community with unparalleled resolution of data sets with even larger dynamic ranges, drastically improving scientist’s ability to collect data, and allow greater insight into materials.
