NALU SCIENTIFIC, LLC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 13a

Description

In this project, Nalu Scientific, LLC (NSL) responds to Subtopic 13a for which the Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking the development of systems and/or electronics to interface with gridded ion chambers for X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. The use of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) has become an increasingly important tool used for the measurements and analysis of material composition, chemical reactions, phase transitions, and more. The continued advancement ofsynchrotron capabilities and the improvement and development of new XAS techniques requires similar advancement of the associated detector electronics. NSL is proposing the design, implementation, and testing of HiPAREX (High Performance Amplified Readout Electronics for X-Ray Spectroscopy). HiPAREX is a transimpedance amplifier system integrated with corresponding digital readout circuitry which would a.) Eliminate the need for a separate readout electronics, b.) Reduce the amount of cabling required and consequently decrease the time/distance that the amplified signal of interest (SOI) is exposed to factors that may impact signal integrity (noise, line loss, EMI, etc.), c.) Utilize the latest components which would take advantage of the latest device improvements in terms of bandwidth, noise susceptibility, and power consumption. NSL also plans to take into consideration the system footprint and enclosure, recognizing that the more compact it can be, the closer it may be placed to the SOI source which may also expose the circuits to electromagnetic interference (EMI) requiring careful consideration of device shielding. Finally, system interfacing will be considered with the goal of providing a more modern and standard I/O for the back-end beamline computers and data storage to interface with. The development of HiPAREX by: Refining the amplifier and readout requirements for XAS applications. Design, develop, and fabricate the HiPAREX prototype amplifier PCBs. Selection and evaluation of a COTS ADC evaluation board. Benchtop testing and assessment of the prototype amplifiers and readout module with lab sources. In situ test and performance assessment at BNL beamline(s). Analysis of experimental results and solicitation of feedback from potential early adopters. XAS setups are in places at accelerator facilities around the globe and in addition to ion chambers potentially any detector (fluorescence detectors, SiPMs, PMTs, etc.) which has a similar current output could benefit from the use of this device.