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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Towards robust PICOSEC Micromegas precise timing detectors

The PICOSEC Micromegas (MM) detector is a precise timing gaseous detector consisting of a Cherenkov radiator combined with a photocathode and a MM amplifying structure. A 100-channel PICOSEC MM prototype with 10 × 10 cm 2 active area equipped with a Cesium Iodide (CsI) photocathode demonstrated a time resolution below σ = 18 ps. The objective of this work is to improve the PICOSEC MM detector robustness aspects, i.e. integration of resistive MM and carbon-based photocathodes, while maintaining good time resolution. The PICOSEC MM prototypes have been tested in laboratory conditions and successfully characterised with 150 GeV/c muon beams at the CERN SPS H4 beam line. The excellent timing performance below σ = 20 ps for an individual pad obtained with the 10 × 10 cm 2 area resistive PICOSEC MM of 20 MΩ/$\square$ showed no significant time resolution degradation as a result of adding a resistive layer. A single-pad prototype equipped with a 12 nm thick Boron Carbide (B 4 C) photocathode presented a time resolution below σ = 35 ps, opening up new possibilities for detectors with robust photocathodes. The results made the concept more suitable for the experiments in need of robust detectors with good time resolution.

RETHGEM↗
DOE OSTI2024

Photocathode characterisation for robust PICOSEC Micromegas precise-timing detectors

The PICOSEC Micromegas detector is a precise-timing gaseous detector based on a Cherenkov radiator coupled with a semi-transparent photocathode and a Micromegas amplifying structure, targeting a time resolution of tens of picoseconds for minimum ionising particles. Initial single-pad prototypes have demonstrated a time resolution below σ = 25 ps, prompting ongoing developments to adapt the concept for High Energy Physics applications, where sub-nanosecond precision is essential for event separation, improved track reconstruction and particle identification. The achieved performance is being transferred to robust multi-channel detector modules suitable for large-area detection systems requiring excellent timing precision. To enhance the robustness and stability of the PICOSEC Micromegas detector, research on robust carbon-based photocathodes, including Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) and Boron Carbide (B 4 C), is pursued. Results from prototypes equipped with DLC and B 4 C photocathodes exhibited a time resolution of σ ≈ 32 ps and σ ≈ 34.5 ps, respectively. Efforts dedicated to improve detector robustness and stability enhance the feasibility of the PICOSEC Micromegas concept for large experiments, ensuring sustained performance while maintaining excellent timing precision.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assembly of CMS Endcap MIP Timing Detector Module at FNAL

The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will enable a more detailed exploration of new phenomena thanks to an anticipated increase in collisions where pileup is expected to reach approximately 200 simultaneous interactions. Many CMS systems will be significantly upgraded to prepare for this new era, including the MIP Timing Detector (MTD) project. The MTD is designed to mitigate the effect of pileup and is set to provide a timestamp accurate to 30 ~ 40 picoseconds for every event, ensuring sustained detector performance at HL-LHC. The MTD is divided into two sections, Barrel Timing Layer (BTL) and Endcap Timing Layer (ETL) which utilize different sensor and ASIC technologies due to the difference in active surfaces, irradiation conditions, and installation schedules. The ETL, composed of two double-sided disks, employs the Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) sensor and the Endcap Timing Readout Chip (ETROC). More than 8,000 modules, each consisting of four LGAD sensors and ETROCs are required for the ETL detector. These modules will be assembled using an automated robotic gantry that guarantees precise placement at a level of 10 micrometers. In addition, the full assembly of ETL modules includes film application with the jig, wire-bonding, encapsulation with the automated dispensing robot for protecting the wire-bonding, and film curing with a vacuum oven. This talk reports on the successfully completed throughput test with mockup components using the gantry and the successful assembly of real functional modules for beam tests at CERN and FNAL, including the first official ETL module.

Apresyan, Artur↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of silicon and indium gallium arsenide photodiodes as direct timing detectors for pulsed x-ray systems

Benchtop pulsed x-ray systems are commonly used to record dynamic material data on the order of nanoseconds, but pulse timing is often difficult to accurately determine. This study demonstrates that commercially available photodiodes can be used effectively for direct x-ray pulse detection without the need for visible light scintillators. X-ray pulses from four commercially available flash x-ray systems were quantified using one silicon and two indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) photodiodes. The measured InGaAs pulse durations were strongly dependent on radiation dose in the non-linear operating regime, so the photodiodes were shielded to operate below the 2.5 V non-linear regime threshold. The average pulse duration and pulse arrival time jitter of the photodiodes for each x-ray source were within several nanoseconds with the exception of two sets of measurements that were affected by low instrument sensitivity and electrical noise. These results show that InGaAs photodiodes can be used as effective and repeatable stand-alone timing diagnostics for x-ray pulses as short as 20 ns or less.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

A large area 100-channel PICOSEC Micromegas detector with time resolution at the 20 ps level

Abstract The PICOSEC Micromegas precise timing detector is based on a Cherenkov radiator coupled to a photocathode operating in a semi-transparent mode and a Micromegas amplification structure. The first proof of concept single-channel prototype was able to achieve a time resolution below 25 ps. One of the crucial aspects in the development of precise timing gaseous detectors applicable in high-energy physics experiments is a modular design that enables large area coverage. The first 19-channel multi-pad prototype with an active area of approximately 10 cm 2 suffered from degraded timing resolution due to the non-uniformity of the preamplification gap thickness. A new 100 cm 2 detector module with 100 channels based on a rigid hybrid ceramic/FR4 Micromegas board for improved drift gap uniformity was developed. Initial measurements with 80 GeV/c muons showed improvements in timing response over the measured pads and a time resolution below 25 ps. More recent measurements with a thinner drift gap detector module and newly developed RF pulse amplifiers show that the pad centre resolution can be enhanced to the level of 17 ps. This work will present the development of the detector from structural simulations, design, and beam test commissioning with a focus on the timing performance of a thinner drift gap detector module in combination with new electronics using an automated timing scan method.

Utrobicic, A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Performance Validation of Endcap Timing Layer Detector Modules for CMS Phase-2 Upgrade

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will operate up to 200 simultaneous collisions per bunch crossing, which is a significant jump from the current value of about 30 collisions per bunch crossing, producing significant pileup that challenges accurate event reconstruction. To address this, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment is implementing the Endcap Timing Layer (ETL), a precision timing detector designed to provide timing measurements with a resolution of approximately 50 ps per hit and 35 ps per reconstructed track. This project focuses on the characterization and validation of ETL detector modules using laboratory laser test data. ETL performance is evaluated by analyzing key quantities such as Bunch Crossing Identification (BCID), Time-of-Arrival (TOA), Time-over-Threshold (TOT), Noise Stability etc. The resulting analysis provides insight into the timing performance and operational stability of ETL modules, contributing to the quality assurance process req uired before their installation in the CMS experiment and ensure that the modules can meet the long-term reliability requirements of approximately 10 years of operation without replacement.

Chipara, Munashe [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2025

PSEC5 Physical Verification

Ultra-Fast timing detectors, having a time resolution of 10pSec or less, are becoming increasingly important for many scientific disciplines, including High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Medical Imaging and more. When developing ultra-fast detectors such as MCPs, LAPPDs, LGADs, SNSPDs, it is necessary to have access to a readout system that is low power, can support many channels and is cost effective. The PSEC5 chip was an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed by the pioneering group of Prof. Henry Frisch at University of Chicago and micro electronic engineers at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Three boards were designed, two to implement the readout system for an LAPPD and one to only characterize the PSEC1 chip. The main goal of the project shifted to setting up a testing environment to focus on the characterization of the chip. My student and I tested and characterized this ASIC using the third chip-on-board printed circuit board. Results show the successful fabrication and operation of some of the key building blocks and lead to the suggestions on modification for the second iteration of the chip.

Rico Aniles, H. D. [Unlisted]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integration of the FastIC front-end electronics into the Picosec MicroMegas detector

The Picosec MicroMegas collaboration aims to develop gaseous fast-timing detectors; experimentally, intrinsic time resolutions from around 50 ps to better than 20 ps are obtained, depending on the exact detector configuration. Parts of developments focus on exploring various options of fast-timing multi-channel front-end electronics, to meet the data processing demands of experimental applications. One option is the FastIC, which was developed for reading out positive and negative input polarity sensors with intrinsic amplification. In this paper, the first results from reading out the gaseous Picosec MicroMegas detector with the FastIC are presented. In laboratory studies, a basic description of the data processing chain was performed using a function generator. The results from test beam measurements are used to characterise the timing performance and the charge processing of the combination of FastIC and Picosec MicroMegas, as well as to demonstrate the possibility of a multi-channel detector readout. Although the timing-at-threshold level of the FastIC introduces a time walk of around 1.5 ns, time resolutions of around 50 ps have been achieved.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-resolved detectors for quantum ghost imaging

Quantum ghost imaging is a method that utilizes the correlated detection of two photons to generate an image. One photon is detected by an imaging sensor and the other by a single-element bucket detector. The selection of the imaging sensor and its capabilities relative to the bucket detector impact the quality of the ghost images. This work examines a SPAD array and a photocathode detector as imaging sensors for quantum ghost imaging. We discuss how to achieve optimal images using these two technologies. We also demonstrate that these devices are able to generate ghost images at 1Hz frame rates, expanding the technique to biologically relevant time scales.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Results for pixel and strip centimeter-scale AC-LGAD sensors with a 120 GeV proton beam

Here, we present the results of an extensive evaluation of strip and pixel AC-LGAD sensors tested with a 120 GeV proton beam, focusing on the influence of design parameters on the sensor temporal and spatial resolutions. Results show that reducing the thickness of pixel sensors significantly enhances their time resolution, with 20-μm-thick sensors achieving around 20 ps. Uniform performance is attainable with optimized n + sheet resistance, making these sensors ideal for future timing detectors. Conversely, 20-μm-thick strip sensors exhibit higher jitter than similar pixel sensors, negatively impacting time resolution, despite reduced Landau fluctuations with respect to the 50-μm-thick versions. Additionally, it is observed that a low resistivity in strip sensors limits signal size and time resolution, whereas higher resistivity improves performance. This study highlights the importance of tuning the n+ sheet resistance and suggests that further improvements should target specific applications like the Electron–Ion Collider or other future collider experiments. In addition, the detailed performance of four AC-LGADs sensor designs is reported as examples of possible candidates for specific detector applications. These advancements position AC-LGADs as promising candidates for future 4D tracking systems, pending the development of specialized readout electronics.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

CMS Endcap Timing Layer: System Validation and Assembly

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will operate at unprecedented luminosities, resulting in up to 200 simultaneous interactions per bunch crossing. To mitigate the resulting pileup challenges, the CMS experiment is implementing the MIP Timing Detector (MTD), designed to provide precise timing information with a resolution of 30 – 40 picoseconds per track. The MTD consists of the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL) and the Endcap Timing Layer (ETL), each optimized for different regions of the detector. The ETL, comprising two double-sided disks, utilizes Low-Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) sensors coupled with the Endcap Timing Readout Chip (ETROC) to achieve high-precision timing measurements in the forward region. Significant progress has been made toward the realization of the ETL through extensive system-level validation of the ETROC readout chain and the development of scalable module assembly procedures. This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of the ETL and highlight recent advances in system validation and module assembly, emphasizing their roles in ensuring the detector readiness for HL-LHC operation.

Lee, Dongyub [Kyungpook Natl. U.] (ORCID:000000034↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance of the ATLAS forward proton Time-of-Flight detector in Run 2

We present performance studies of the Time-of-Flight (ToF) subdetector of the ATLAS Forward Proton (AFP) detector at the LHC. Efficiencies and resolutions are measured using high-statistics data samples collected at low and moderate pile-up in 2017, the first year when the detectors were installed on both sides of the interaction region. While low efficiencies are observed, of the order of a few percent, the resolutions of the two ToF detectors measured individually are 21 ps and 28 ps, yielding an expected resolution of the longitudinal position of the interaction, z vtx , in the central ATLAS detector of 5.3 ± 0.6 mm. This is in agreement with the observed width of the distribution of the difference between z vtx , measured independently by the central ATLAS tracker and by the ToF detector, of 6.0 ± 2.0 mm.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electromagnetic shower reconstruction in the ICARUS liquid argon time projection chamber detector

The ICARUS-T600 liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) detector is taking data at shallow depth as the far detector of the Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at Fermilab, to search for a possible sterile neutrino signal at $\Delta m^{2} \approx 1~\text{eV}^{2}$ with the Booster (BNB) and Main Injector (NuMI) neutrino beams at $\GeV{\sim 0.8}$ and $\GeV{\sim 2}$ average energies respectively. The LArTPC technology, developed by the ICARUS collaboration and now a standard in neutrino physics, offers impressive charged-particle imaging capabilities with $\sim1 \ \text{mm}$ spatial resolution, enabling efficient discrimination between track-like signatures (e.g., from muons, pions, and protons) and electromagnetic showers (from electrons and photons). Moreover, electron and photon signatures can be distinguished both with the calorimetric measurement of local energy depositions at the shower start and with the cm-scale conversion gap signature of photons. This contribution discusses event reconstruction at ICARUS focusing on Pandora, a multi-algorithm pattern recognition software widely used in LArTPC experiments. Over a hundred Pandora algorithms and tools are used to reconstruct cosmic rays and neutrino interactions in the ICARUS detector. Recent developments have focused on the reconstruction of electromagnetic shower signatures, crucial to ensure a robust and efficient reconstruction of charged-current $\nu_e$ interactions, which serve as a key signature of sterile neutrino oscillations at SBN. In this contribution, recent improvements to the reconstruction are discussed, focusing on the discrimination between tracks and electromagnetic showers using neutrino simulations and data.

Triozzi, Riccardo [Padua U.; INFN, Padua] (ORCID:0↗
DOE OSTI2024

Beam test results for the Endcap Timing ReadOut Chip (ETROC2) for the CMS ETL upgrade

The Endcap Timing ReadOut Chip (ETROC) for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Minimum ionizing particle Timing Detector (MTD) is designed to process Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) signals with a time resolution of 40-50ps per hit, with 30-35 ps per charged particle using two layer detector. The ETROC2, is the first full size (16x16 pixels) and full functionally design that has been tested in hadron and electron beams at CERN and DESY (Sep 2023 - June 2024). Precision timing studies at these test beams are done using a self-referential beam telescope composed of up to 4 layers/chips. This talk describes the ETROC2 beam telescope and summarizes the performance of the ETROC2 chips bump-bonded to (16x16) Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) and Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (HPK) LGAD sensors using results from recent test beams. The experiences and lessons learned during the course of these test beams are also detailed in this talk.

Safdari, Murtaza↗
DOE OSTI2025

28nm front end ASIC and 12” LGADs for 3D integration

The 3DIntSenS Collaboration—a joint effort between SLAC, Fermilab, and LLNL—is developing enabling technologies for next-generation radiation imaging detectors that combine ultra-fine spatial resolution (≈10 μm) with precision timing (<20 ps), while maintaining low power <1 W/cm2 and high data throughput. The approach leverages 3D integration between advanced CMOS readout ASICs and finely pixelated LGAD sensors to achieve the performance and scalability required for large-area, high-rate applications. High-granularity, precision-timing detectors are essential for scientific advances in HEP, NP, BES, and FES, but widespread adoption is limited by the cost and complexity of 3D integration. To close this gap, the collaboration is developing LGAD sensors compatible with 12-inch commercial CMOS processes, enabling cost-effective integration with high-performance ASICs under development. We present the design and results from a 28 nm CMOS ASIC prototype, including a low-jitter front end, and in-pixel TDC demonstrating sub-10 ps timing resolution. We also report on the co-design and characterization of reticle-scale LGAD sensors with 50 μm and 100 μm pixels and introduce the next 10k-pixel ASIC designed for full 3D integration. These advances represent a critical step toward scalable, high-resolution radiation imaging systems for future scientific instrumentation.

England, Troy [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000154405255)↗
DOE OSTI2024

A first look at AS-ROC: a Si-Ge integrated chip readout for fast timing

Abstract Advances in timing detector technology require new specialized readout electronics. Applications demand below 10 ps time of arrival resolution and low power for a low repetition rate. A possible path to achieve O(10 ps) time resolution is an integrated chip using Silicon Germanium (SiGe) technology. Using DoE SBIR funding, Anadyne, Inc., in collaboration with UC Santa Cruz, has developed a prototype SiGe front-end readout chip optimized for low power and timing resolution. Two versions of the chip were produced with performance in simulation: a more power version with 10 ps resolution at 5 fC with 1.1 mW/channel, and a less power version with 10 ps resolution at 8 fC with 0.6 mW/channel.The chip was produced at Tower Semiconductor with 350 nm technology. The ASIC from the prototype run shows good performance: a rise time of 0.7–1 ns and 25 mV per fC response with RMS noise <1 mV. Simulation and results from the prototype will be reported in this paper.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗