Application of Gallium Nitride Technology in Particle Therapy Imaging

Abstract

A transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is an essential electronic circuit in prompt gamma detection. To improve the performance and reliability of the electronics, we designed a TIA using GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) as it is more radiation-hardened when compared to its silicon counterpart and it has lower noise. Our circuit is designed using GaN HEMT from efficient power conversion (EPC) and has a 3-dB frequency of 21 MHz and 45 dB<inline-formula> <tex-math notation= LaTeX >$\\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> of transimpedance gain. Its total output rms noise voltage is 3.1 mV. Its functionality is verified using a Lu-176 radiation source, and experimental result shows that the current generated from the H12700 position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) detector when the gamma radiation hits the scintillator crystal is successfully converted into voltage with the gain in agreement with our simulation result. Comparison of this GaN-based TIA with the reported silicon-based TIA shows superior performances for particle therapy imaging. The circuit is also tested under 100-MeV proton radiation with a fluence of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation= LaTeX >$1.6\\times 10^{11}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation= LaTeX >$^{-2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and flux of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation= LaTeX >$1.14\\times 10^{8}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation= LaTeX >$^{-2}\\,\\,\\text{s}^{-1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and negligible variations in the linearity and gain in the postradiation measurements are observed.