Compact Electronics and Segmented Nuclear Detectors for Radiation Imaging

"Detection, identification and localization of radioactive materials in a terrorist or battlefield environment can be achieved with a position sensitive gamma ray detector. The detector provides identification of nuclear materials of strategic interest, andcan determine the location and distribution of these materials. Broader applications for the same technology include nuclear medicine and high-energy astrophysics.This proposal focuses on the readout integrated circuit (ROIC) for highly segmented semi-conducting detectors such as germanium, or silicon.PHASE I: During the Phase I of this project Indigo Systems proposes to complete a trade study of a state-of-the-art multi-channel integrated circuit readout for a position sensitive gamma ray detector. Specifications and requirements to achieve highefficiency gamma ray detection will be proposed and analyzed for different type of available detectors. Two readout architectures will be proposed and analyzed, the first classic type of architecture includes a fast timing discriminator, providing the timeof arrival of the detector signal, and a shaping amplifier with peak detection providing pulse amplitude for spectroscopy. The second architecture proposed will include an analog pipeline memory. The detector signal after amplification and filtering issampled and stored at high rate onto successive memory elements, preserving, with the pulse amplitude, the shape of the signal. The number of