E. F. Eikenberry

Mythen detector system

Time-resolved experiments in powder diffraction are limited by the long time required to record spectra with current detectors. A major improvement can be made by using a massively parallel X-ray detection system together with a fast read out. The Mythen detector (Microstrip system for time-resolved experiments) has been built for the Powder Diffraction Station of the Material Science beamline at the Swiss Light Source to meet these requirements. The specifically developed read out chip (Mythen chip), the detector system and first measurements are shown.

PILATUS: a two-dimensional X-ray detector for macromolecular crystallography

A large quantum-limited area X-ray detector for protein crystallography is under development at the Swiss Light Source. The final detector will be 2k � 2k pixels covering 40 � 40 cm 2 : A three-module prototype with 1120 � 157 pixels covering an active area of 24:3 � 3: 4c m 2 has been tested. X-rays above 6 keV with peak count rates exceeding 5 � 10 5 X-ray/pixel/s could be detected in single photon counting mode. Statistics of module production and results of threshold trimming are presented. To demonstrate the potential of this new detector, protein crystal data were collected at beamline 6S of the SLS. r 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 87.64.Bx

Improved data acquisition in grazing-incidence X-ray scattering experiments using a pixel detector

The use of an area detector in grazing-incidence X-ray experiments lends many advantages in terms of both speed and reliability. Here a discussion is given of the procedures established using the PILATUS pixel detector developed at the Swiss Light Source for optimizing data acquisition and analysis of surface diffraction data at the Materials Science beamline, especially with regard to reflectivity measurements, crystal truncation and fractional order rods, and grazing-incidence diffraction experiments.

A pixel detector for the protein crystallography beamline at the SLS

At the Paul Scherrer Institute a new synchrotron light source is currently under construction, the Swiss Light Source (SLS), which will be operational in summer 2001. Among the first beamlines is a high brightness, micro-focusing protein crystallography beamline. It will be equipped with a pixel detector, which has several features of interest for the next generation of protein crystallography detectors. The point spread function and the effect of charge sharing was measured with a prototype detector in a test experiment at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble. The concepts of the SLS pixel detector is presented as well as test results from radiation hard prototype chips.

Continuous sample rotation data collection for protein crystallography with the PILATUS detector

The PILATUS detector (pixel apparatus for the SLS) is a large all silicon quantum-limited area X-ray detector for protein crystallography. A three-module array with 1120 � 157 pixels covering an active area of 24.3 � 3.6 cm 2 is in operation. Its main features are an excellent point-spread function, a very high dynamic range and a readout time of o7 ms. X-rays with energy above 6 keV can be detected in single photon counting mode. To demonstrate the potential of the detector, fine f-sliced protein crystal data were collected in continuous sample rotation mode at beamline X06SA of the SLS. r 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Protein crystallography with the PILATUS 1M detector at the Swiss Light Source

2. Excellent point spread function of one pixel. 3. High quantum efficiency. At 8 keV the absorption of a 0.3 mm thick Si-Sensor is 100%, at 12 keV 75% of the incoming radiation. This exceeds the quantum-efficiency of direct-coupled CCDs.

Methodological Study of a Single Photon Counting Pixel Detector at SPring‐8

PILATUS (Pixel Apparatus for the SLS) is a challenging project to develop a large area single photon counting pixel detector for synchrotron radiation experiments. SPring‐8 examined the PLATUS single module detectors in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute. The PILATUS‐II single module detector has a desired performance with almost zero defective pixels and a fast frame rate up to 100 Hz using a newly developed PCI readout system on a Linux‐PC. The maximum counting rate achieves more than 2 × 106 X‐rays/s/pixel.

Pixel Detectors For Diffraction Experiments At The Swiss Light Source

The PILATUS detector (Pixel Apparatus for the SLS) is a large, quantum‐limited area X‐ray detector for protein crystallography which is currently under construction. Its basic units are modules with 16 CMOS chips bump‐bonded to a large, continuously sensitive silicon sensor with 157×366 pixels of 217×217 μm2, leading to an active area of 34×80 mm2. With a counting circuit in each pixel, X‐rays are detected in single photon counting mode, leading to excellent, noise‐free data. The main properties of the detector are an energy range of 6 to 30 keV, no back‐ground due to leakage current or readout‐noise, fast read‐out time of 6.7 ms, a rate/pixel >104/s and a PSF of one pixel. PILATUS detectors are installed at the SLS X06SA protein crystallography beamline, and at both the surface diffraction (SD) station and the radiography and tomography (XTM) station of beamline X04SA. The detectors are operated at room temperature and thus are very easy to use. Experiments benefit from the ability to detect very weak di...

Technical Reports: A Single-photon Counting Pixel Detector for Surface Diffraction Experiments

The intense flux delivered by third-generation synchrotron sources has opened up exciting new possibilities in surface diffraction (SD) studies [1–3]. Nonetheless, practical SD experiments are plagued by several technical problems. Because the crystalline surface is typically probed down to a depth of approximately 1 or 2 nm when using subcritical-angle incident X-ray beams, the scattering volume is only about 10-12 cm3. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the most interesting information on the surface structure is generally obtained from those regions of diffraction features known as crystal truncation rods (CTRs) where scattering is weakest, i.e., in between Bragg peaks.