Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle Detection
We present the performance and application of a commercial off-the-shelf Si PIN diode (Hamamatsu S14605) as a charged particle detector in a compact ion beam system (IBS) capable of generating D–D and p–B fusion charged particles. This detector is inexpensive, widely available, and operates in photo...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Nuclear Engineering |
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| author | Allan Xi Chen Benjamin F. Sigal John Martinis Alfred YiuFai Wong Alexander Gunn Matthew Salazar Nawar Abdalla Kai-Jian Xiao |
| author_facet | Allan Xi Chen Benjamin F. Sigal John Martinis Alfred YiuFai Wong Alexander Gunn Matthew Salazar Nawar Abdalla Kai-Jian Xiao |
| author_sort | Allan Xi Chen |
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| description | We present the performance and application of a commercial off-the-shelf Si PIN diode (Hamamatsu S14605) as a charged particle detector in a compact ion beam system (IBS) capable of generating D–D and p–B fusion charged particles. This detector is inexpensive, widely available, and operates in photoconductive mode under a reverse bias voltage of 12 V, supplied by an A23 battery. A charge-sensitive preamplifier (CSP) is mounted on the backside of the detector’s four-layer PCB and powered by two ±3 V lithium batteries (A123). Both the detector and CSP are housed together on the vacuum side of the IBS, facing the fusion target. The system employs a CF-2.75-flanged DB-9 connector feedthrough to supply the signal, bias voltage, and rail voltages. To mitigate the high sensitivity of the detector to optical light, a thin aluminum foil assembly is used to block optical emissions from the ion beam and target. Charged particles generate step responses at the preamplifier output, with pulse rise times in the order of 0.2 to 0.3 µs. These signals are recorded using a custom-built data acquisition unit, which features an optical fiber data link to ensure the electrical isolation of the detector electronics. Subsequent digital signal processing is employed to optimally shape the pulses using a CR-RC<sup>n</sup> filter to produce Gaussian-shaped signals, enabling the accurate extraction of energy information. Performance results indicate that the detector’s baseline RMS ripple noise can be as low as 0.24 mV. Under actual laboratory conditions, the estimated signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) for charged particles from D–D fusion—protons, tritons, and helions—are approximately 225, 75, and 41, respectively. |
| format | Article |
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| issn | 2673-4362 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Nuclear Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-5ad9e677176f427fb8a5fed18eab7cc32025-08-20T02:20:58ZengMDPI AGJournal of Nuclear Engineering2673-43622025-05-01621510.3390/jne6020015Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle DetectionAllan Xi Chen0Benjamin F. Sigal1John Martinis2Alfred YiuFai Wong3Alexander Gunn4Matthew Salazar5Nawar Abdalla6Kai-Jian Xiao7Alpha Ring International Ltd., 1631 W. 135th St., Gardena, CA 90249, USAAlpha Ring International Ltd., 1631 W. 135th St., Gardena, CA 90249, USAAlpha Ring International Ltd., 1631 W. 135th St., Gardena, CA 90249, USAAlpha Ring International Ltd., 5 Harris Ct. Suite B, Monterey, CA 93940, USAAlpha Ring International Ltd., 5 Harris Ct. Suite B, Monterey, CA 93940, USAAlpha Ring International Ltd., 5 Harris Ct. Suite B, Monterey, CA 93940, USAAlpha Ring International Ltd., 5 Harris Ct. Suite B, Monterey, CA 93940, USAAlpha Ring International Ltd., 9F., No.11, Ln.35, Jihu Rd. Neihu Dist., Taipei City 114066, TaiwanWe present the performance and application of a commercial off-the-shelf Si PIN diode (Hamamatsu S14605) as a charged particle detector in a compact ion beam system (IBS) capable of generating D–D and p–B fusion charged particles. This detector is inexpensive, widely available, and operates in photoconductive mode under a reverse bias voltage of 12 V, supplied by an A23 battery. A charge-sensitive preamplifier (CSP) is mounted on the backside of the detector’s four-layer PCB and powered by two ±3 V lithium batteries (A123). Both the detector and CSP are housed together on the vacuum side of the IBS, facing the fusion target. The system employs a CF-2.75-flanged DB-9 connector feedthrough to supply the signal, bias voltage, and rail voltages. To mitigate the high sensitivity of the detector to optical light, a thin aluminum foil assembly is used to block optical emissions from the ion beam and target. Charged particles generate step responses at the preamplifier output, with pulse rise times in the order of 0.2 to 0.3 µs. These signals are recorded using a custom-built data acquisition unit, which features an optical fiber data link to ensure the electrical isolation of the detector electronics. Subsequent digital signal processing is employed to optimally shape the pulses using a CR-RC<sup>n</sup> filter to produce Gaussian-shaped signals, enabling the accurate extraction of energy information. Performance results indicate that the detector’s baseline RMS ripple noise can be as low as 0.24 mV. Under actual laboratory conditions, the estimated signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) for charged particles from D–D fusion—protons, tritons, and helions—are approximately 225, 75, and 41, respectively.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4362/6/2/15charge particle detectorcharge-sensitive preamplifierPIN diodebeam-target fusionbattery-powered detector |
| spellingShingle | Allan Xi Chen Benjamin F. Sigal John Martinis Alfred YiuFai Wong Alexander Gunn Matthew Salazar Nawar Abdalla Kai-Jian Xiao Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle Detection Journal of Nuclear Engineering charge particle detector charge-sensitive preamplifier PIN diode beam-target fusion battery-powered detector |
| title | Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle Detection |
| title_full | Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle Detection |
| title_fullStr | Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle Detection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle Detection |
| title_short | Performance Characteristics of the Battery-Operated Silicon PIN Diode Detector with an Integrated Preamplifier and Data Acquisition Module for Fusion Particle Detection |
| title_sort | performance characteristics of the battery operated silicon pin diode detector with an integrated preamplifier and data acquisition module for fusion particle detection |
| topic | charge particle detector charge-sensitive preamplifier PIN diode beam-target fusion battery-powered detector |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4362/6/2/15 |
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