Technology Commercialization and Partnerships | BSA 06-01: ASIC for Clockless Analog-to-Digital Conversion

Category: electronics & instrumentation

BSA 06-01: ASIC for Clockless Analog-to-Digital Conversion

BNL Reference Number: BSA 06-01

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Number 7,187,316 was issued on March 6, 2007

Summary

Description

A device and procedure to perform analog-to-digital conversion without using a clock signal. Analog-to-digital converter for radiation detection system, has discriminator that changes state in response to current or charge associated with an input signal that exceeds some threshold. A device for analog-to-digital conversion and peak detection includes at least one stage, which includes a first switch, second switch, current source or capacitor, and discriminator. The discriminator changes state in response to a current or charge associated with the input signal exceeding a current or charge threshold. The input signal includes a peak or a charge, and the converter includes a peak or charge-detect mode in which a state of the switch is retained in response to a decrease in the current or charge associated with the input signal. The state of the switch represents at least a portion of a value of the peak or of the charge.

Benefits

This device provides peak detection and analog-to-digital conversion of shaped analog pulses caused by an ionizing event in a radiation detection system without requiring a clock signal and using very little power. In addition, since analog-to-digital conversion occurs during a rising edge of the shaped pulse and conversion is complete when the peak occurs, the present invention advantageously minimizes the processing time of the shaped pulse and, as a consequence, the loss of data. The need for high spatial resolution and high rate capability requires the development of radiation detection systems in which the front-end and processing electronics per channel is highly integrated. Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) that integrate an increasing amount of front-end and processing electronics are needed in order to satisfy these requirements. The integration of efficient circuits for the processing of the shaped pulses represents a challenge, especially when the number m of

Applications and Industries

Semiconductor radiation detectors are now used in a large variety of fields, including nuclear physics, X-ray and gamma ray astronomy, and nuclear medicine. Their imaging capabilities, good energy resolution, and the ability to fabricate compact systems are very attractive features, in comparison with other types of detectors, such as gas detectors and scintillators. Medical, imaging, nuclear nonproliferation, non-destructive detection, radiation imaging, and homeland security applications.