Hiroki Kamehama

Development and performance of Kyoto's x-ray astronomical SOI pixel (SOIPIX) sensor

We have been developing monolithic active pixel sensors, known as Kyoto’s X-ray SOIPIXs, based on the CMOS SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology for next-generation X-ray astronomy satellites. The event trigger output function implemented in each pixel offers microsecond time resolution and enables reduction of the non-X-ray background that dominates the high X-ray energy band above 5–10 keV. A fully depleted SOI with a thick depletion layer and back illumination offers wide band coverage of 0.3–40 keV. Here, we report recent progress in the X-ray SOIPIX development. In this study, we achieved an energy resolution of 300 eV (FWHM) at 6 keV and a read-out noise of 33 e- (rms) in the frame readout mode, which allows us to clearly resolve Mn-Kα and Kβ. Moreover, we produced a fully depleted layer with a thickness of 500 μm. The event-driven readout mode has already been successfully demonstrated.

Development and Evaluation of Event-Driven SOI Pixel Detector for X-ray Astronomy

Ayaki Takeda∗a, Takeshi Go Tsurua, Takaaki Tanakaa, Hideaki Matsumuraa, Yasuo Araib, Koji Moric, Yusuke Nishiokac, Ryota Takenakac, Takayoshi Kohmurad , Shinya Nakashimae, Shoji Kawahito f , Keiichiro Kagawa f , Keita Yasutomi f , Hiroki Kamehama f and Sumeet Shrestha f aDepartment of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University bInstitute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) cDepartment of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Miyazaki dDepartment of Physics, School of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science eJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) fResearch Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University

A Low-Noise X-ray Astronomical Silicon-On-Insulator Pixel Detector Using a Pinned Depleted Diode Structure

This paper presents a novel full-depletion Si X-ray detector based on silicon-on-insulator pixel (SOIPIX) technology using a pinned depleted diode structure, named the SOIPIX-PDD. The SOIPIX-PDD greatly reduces stray capacitance at the charge sensing node, the dark current of the detector, and capacitive coupling between the sensing node and SOI circuits. These features of the SOIPIX-PDD lead to low read noise, resulting high X-ray energy resolution and stable operation of the pixel. The back-gate surface pinning structure using neutralized p-well at the back-gate surface and depleted n-well underneath the p-well for all the pixel area other than the charge sensing node is also essential for preventing hole injection from the p-well by making the potential barrier to hole, reducing dark current from the Si-SiO2 interface and creating lateral drift field to gather signal electrons in the pixel area into the small charge sensing node. A prototype chip using 0.2 μm SOI technology shows very low readout noise of 11.0 e−rms, low dark current density of 56 pA/cm2 at −35 °C and the energy resolution of 200 eV(FWHM) at 5.9 keV and 280 eV (FWHM) at 13.95 keV.

Kyoto's event-driven x-ray astronomy SOI pixel sensor for the FORCE mission

We have been developing monolithic active pixel sensors, X-ray Astronomy SOI pixel sensors, XRPIXs, based on a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) CMOS technology as soft X-ray sensors for a future Japanese mission, FORCE (Focusing On Relativistic universe and Cosmic Evolution). The mission is characterized by broadband (1-80 keV) X-ray imaging spectroscopy with high angular resolution (< 15 arcsec), with which we can achieve about ten times higher sensitivity in comparison to the previous missions above 10 keV. Immediate readout of only those pixels hit by an X-ray is available by an event trigger output function implemented in each pixel with the time resolution higher than 10 µsec (Event-Driven readout mode). It allows us to do fast timing observation and also reduces non-X-ray background dominating at a high X-ray energy band above 5{10 keV by adopting an anti-coincidence technique. In this paper, we introduce our latest results from the developments of the XRPIXs. (1) We successfully developed a 3-side buttable back-side illumination device with an imaging area size of 21.9 mm x 13.8 mm and an pixel size of 36 µm x 36 µm. The X-ray throughput with the device reaches higher than 0.57 kHz in the Event-Driven readout mode. (2) We developed a device using the double SOI structure and found that the structure improves the spectral performance in the Event-Driven readout mode by suppressing the capacitive coupling interference between the sensor and circuit layers. (3) We also developed a new device equipped with the Pinned Depleted Diode structure and confirmed that the structure reduces the dark current generated at the interface region between the sensor and the SiO2 insulator layers. The device shows an energy resolution of 216 eV in FWHM at 6.4 keV in the Event-Driven readout mode. .

A Silicon-on-Insulator-Based Dual-Gain Charge-Sensitive Pixel Detector for Low-Noise X-ray Imaging for Future Astronomical Satellite Missions

In this paper, we report on the development of a monolithic active pixel sensor for X-ray imaging using 0.2 µm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-based technology to support next generation astronomical satellite missions. Detail regarding low-noise dual-gain SOI based pixels with a charge sensitive amplifier and pinned depleted diode sensor structure is presented. The proposed multi-well sensor structure underneath the fully-depleted SOI allows the design of a detector with low node capacitance and high charge collection efficiency. Configurations for achieving very high charge-to-voltage conversion gain of 52 µV/e− and 187 µV/e− are demonstrated. Furthermore, in-pixel dual gain selection is used for low-noise and wide dynamic range X-ray energy detection. A technique to improve the noise performance by removing correlated system noise leads to an improvement in the spectroscopic performance of the measured X-ray energy. Taken together, the implemented chip has low dark current (44.8 pA/cm2 at −30 °C), improved noise performance (8.5 e− rms for high gain and 11.7 e− rms for low gain), and better energy resolution of 2.89% (171 eV FWHM) at 5.9 keV using 55Fe and 1.67% (234 eV FWHM) at 13.95 keV using 241Am.

A low-noise wide-dynamic-range event-driven detector using SOI pixel technology for high-energy particle imaging

This paper presents a low-noise wide-dynamic-range pixel design for a high-energy particle detector in astronomical applications. A silicon on insulator (SOI) based detector is used for the detection of wide energy range of high energy particles (mainly for X-ray). The sensor has a thin layer of SOI CMOS readout circuitry and a thick layer of high-resistivity detector vertically stacked in a single chip. Pixel circuits are divided into two parts; signal sensing circuit and event detection circuit. The event detection circuit consisting of a comparator and logic circuits which detect the incidence of high energy particle categorizes the incident photon it into two energy groups using an appropriate energy threshold and generate a two-bit code for an event and energy level. The code for energy level is then used for selection of the gain of the in-pixel amplifier for the detected signal, providing a function of high-dynamic-range signal measurement. The two-bit code for the event and energy level is scanned in the event scanning block and the signals from the hit pixels only are read out. The variable-gain in-pixel amplifier uses a continuous integrator and integration-time control for the variable gain. The proposed design allows the small signal detection and wide dynamic range due to the adaptive gain technique and capability of correlated double sampling (CDS) technique of kTC noise canceling of the charge detector.

Thermal analysis of a cooling module for an image sensor with thermally isolated pixel area

This paper describes a new method of small-size and low-power consumption cooling for decreasing dark current of image sensors. The image sensor has a thermal isolation structure between pixel area and readout circuits. The small-size and low-power cooling module can be realized by this structure with a small current Peltier module. The cooling effect of this structure with the Peltier module is investigated with thermal simulation.