Signal processing system for a semiconductor detector ladder

The resolution of the NBS high resolution electron spectrometer has been improved recently by installing a new 48 channel detector array at its focal plane, in place of the original channel array that has been in use for some time. This has necessitated the design and construction of a new electronics system to accommodate the increased amount of information from the detectors. The new detector system digitally processes the signals from the detectors after amplification and discrimination. It is coupled on line to a computer which accumulates and manipulates the processed data. An effective and economical solution has been found for the construction of a large logic network for nuclear data accumulation. The functions provided are those normally found only in modular from; e.g. coincidence, with the necessary time resolution. Time differences for simultaneous signal paths have been restricted to ±1 ns maximun with a minimum pulse width of 5 ns for any pulse input. The entire system is dc coupled and the pulse pair resolution, measured during construction, is 10 ns.