Microelectronics for Radiation Detectors

Radiation detectors find application in several areas, the most prominent being medical imaging, national security, safeguard, and physics research. In order to achieve a high resolution, these detectors require a specialized low-noise electronics, also known as front-end electronics. This seminar presents the most relevant technical and non-technical aspects of front-end electronics design for radiation detectors. The concepts of low-noise charge amplifier, pulse shaping and equivalent noise charge are introduced.
Front-end application-specific integrated circuits are regarded as a critical enabling technology without which both present and future radiation detector developments would be impossible. The deep knowledge of this specialized front-end design has traditionally belonged to a very limited number of research groups and institutions worldwide. A major challenge comes from the dramatic increase in demand, combined with the need for higher resolving capability, functionality and portability. These stringent requirements push the state-of-the-art to the limit and calls for continuous innovation. The rapid evolution of front-end ASICs is discussed and state-of-the-art developments are shown.

Gianluigi De Geronimo received his PhD degree in microelectronics from Milan Polytechnic in 1997. Shortly after that he joined the Instrumentation Division of Brookhaven National Laboratory where he specialized in the design of low-noise integrated circuits for radiation detectors. He has successfully developed many state-of-the-art ASICs implementing innovative circuits and frequently achieving record resolution with applications in physics research, medical imaging, national security and space. He collaborates with several national and international institutions and industries; he is author and co-author of over 130 scientific publications and two book chapters.
Dr. De Geronimo is also Adjunct Professor with the Stony Brook University of New York where he teaches an advanced course on microelectronics for sensors, and mentors several MS and PhD students. Recipient of the 2008 BNL Science and Technology Award, 2009, 2011, and 2014 R&D 100 Awards, 2012 CSIRO Award, 2012 Battelle Inventor of the Year Award, holds 19 patents and records of invention. He is also editor of IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science and reviewer for various journals and government institutions.