Architecture and 3D device simulation of a PIN diode-based Gamma radiation detector
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abstract
In this paper, we present a new IC-based gamma radiation detector. We report 3D simulation results for the PIN diode structure which is used in this detector, along with a discussion of the architecture of the readout electronics for this detector. Gamma detection traditionally consists of three parts - i) a scintillator, ii) a detector unit and iii) the readout electronics. Our PIN diode based detector uses a traditional scintillator and a bialkali photocathode to convert the scintillated light into an electron current. This current is detected by the PIN diodes in the detector, which is fused to the photocathode. This structure has many advantages. Sensitivity is enhanced by placing the photocathode and detector IC on all six faces of the NaI scintillating crystal. Our detector is small, has a low-dead-time and it consumes very low power. The sensitive area of the chip is 75%, which is higher than any existing solid-state gamma detector. We have verified the operation of each component of the system by performing circuit-level simulations. The detector is implemented in a low-cost 0.5 um process. The optimal parameters for the PIN diode detector are explored through 3D device simulations. Our results show that a detector sensitivity better than 20 keV is easily achievable with a PIN diode of dimensions 2.5 m x 2.5 m. 2013 Authors.
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Proceedings of the 23rd ACM international conference on Great lakes symposium on VLSI
