DOE OSTI · 3010917
AstroPix: A pixelated HVCMOS sensor for space-based gamma-ray measurement
Abstract
A next-generation medium-energy gamma-ray telescope targeting the MeV range would address open questions in astrophysics regarding how extreme conditions accelerate cosmic-ray particles, produce relativistic jet outflows, and more. One concept, AMEGO-X, relies upon the mission-enabling CMOS Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor silicon chip AstroPix. AstroPix is designed for space-based use, featuring low noise, low power consumption, and high scalability. Desired performance of the device include an energy resolution of 5 keV (or 10% FWHM) at 122 keV and a dynamic range per-pixel of 25–700 keV, enabled by the addition of a high-voltage bias to each pixel which supports a depletion depth of 500 μ m. This work reports on the status of the AstroPix development process with emphasis on the current version under test, version three (v3), and highlights of version two (v2). Version 3 achieves energy resolution of 10.4 ± 3.2% at 59.5 keV and 94 ± 6 μ m depletion in a low-resistivity test silicon substrate.
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Steinhebel, Amanda L. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000240802919), Violette, Daniel P. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000259434730), Caputo, Regina [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)] (ORCID:000000029280836X), Affolder, Anthony [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000290587217), Bauman, Autumn [Univ. of Colorado, Denver, CO (United States); NASA Office of STEM Engagement, Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0009000144629033), Chinatti, Carolyn [Carleton College, Northfield, MN (United States); Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, College Park, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0009000335081146), Deshmukh, Aware [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)], Fadayev, Vitaliy [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)], Fukazawa, Yasushi [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan)], Jadhav, Manoj [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)], Kierans, Carolyn [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Kim, Bobae [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000295396815), Kim, Jihee [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)] (ORCID:000000031018810X), Klest, Henry [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000346950223), Kroger, Olivia [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)], Kumar, Kavic [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Kushima, Shin [Nagoya Univ. (Japan)], Lauenstein, Jean-Marie [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000337038152), Laviron, Adrien [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000315217950), Leys, Richard [Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000188413405), Martinez-Mckinney, Forest [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)], Metcalfe, Jessica [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)], Metzler, Zachary [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)], Mitchell, John W. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Nakano, Norito [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan)], Ott, Jennifer [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000193375722), Peric, Ivan [Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000304084742), Perkins, Jeremy S. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Rudin, Max R. [Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States); Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, College Park, MD (United States)], Shin, Taylor (K. W.) [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000290056387), Sommer, Grant [George Washington Univ., Washington, DC (United States); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Striebig, Nicolas [Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) (Germany)], Suda, Yusuke [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan)] (ORCID:0000000226925891), Tajima, Hiroyasu [Nagoya Univ. (Japan)] (ORCID:0000000217217252), Valverde, Janeth [Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, MD (United States); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Zurek, Maria [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000342014921). 2025-10-30. AstroPix: A pixelated HVCMOS sensor for space-based gamma-ray measurement. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2025.171021
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