XPS: A multi-channel preamplifier-shaper IC for X-ray spectroscopy

An integrated circuit featuring 48 channels of charge-sensitive preamplifiers followed by variable-gain pulse shaping amplifiers is being developed as part of an x-ray spectrometer with a highly segmented detector to handle high fluxes in synchrotron experiments. Such detector systems can provide excellent energy resolution combined with one-dimensional spatial information. The IC combines many basic spectroscopy amplifier functions with a low-noise preamplifier section to produce a unique circuit capable of driving conventional ADC modules directly. An important feature of the design is the novel CR-RC2 pulse shaper. In this section, high-linearity transconductor circuits are required in order to provide a broad range of continuously variable peaking times while still maintaining the linearity and noise performance necessary for x-ray spectroscopy. Reported here are first measurements made on the performance of a 16-channel prototype integrated circuit. At present, the preamplifier-shaper circuit achieves an equivalent input noise of 26 electrons rms at 2 micros peaking time with a 0.2 pF external capacitor, which is similar to the capacitance of a single detector element. The design was fabricated in standard 1.2 microm CMOS technology