A Modular X-Ray Detection System Based on Silicon Drift Diodes

Semiconductor manufacturers, drug discovery teams and a host of other materials scientists depend on high energy X-rays to conduct their research. The beamlines themselves are generally one-of-a-kind creations that reflect the vision and ingenuity of the teams that developed them. However, these teams are almost always under intense pressure to get their experiments up-and- running as quickly as possible leaving little time to refine their innovations. This “ad hoc” approach to the development of X-ray technologies is far from optimal. A better approach would be to identify the commonalities among certain broad classes of experiments and then create general purpose technologies that can be refined, ruggedized and widely applied within the X-ray science community. Over the past decade, silicon drift diodes (SDD) have emerged as the detection gold standard for X-ray spectroscopy. The new Inner Shell Spectroscopy Beamline at the NSLS-II is pioneering an innovative SDD detection strategy designed to deliver dramatically improved sensitivity and depth resolution. Under this approach, an SDD unit is teamed with a polycapillary collimating optic and a multi-layer bandwidth filter. Integrated, high-precision positioning mechanisms allow the configuration and alignment of these components to be easily tuned for specific experiments. Phase I will seek to build upon the promise of the Inner Shell Spectroscopy Beamline’s prototype detection systems. The goal will be to identify the most reliable, cost-effective commercial components that might be used for this application, refine and simplify the design of the essential custom hardware and to link the assembled system with an intuitive, easy-to-use controls architecture. In parallel with this technical effort, the team will quantify the potential market for the detection system and develop a detailed plan for commercializing this technology. The resulting line of products will find immediate use within synchrotrons and free electron lasers. The flexibility provided by the product’s modular design will also support use with broadband (e.g. bremsstrahlung X-ray tubes) excitation systems and in-vacuum instruments such as scanning electron microscopes.