High speed crystallography detector

Claim 1

A device for analysis of x-ray data from an x-ray source, said device comprising one or more hybrid area sensor means for detecting x-rays, each of said hybrid area sensor means comprising detector array chip means for conversion of said x-rays to electron-hole pairs, said detector array chip means comprising a plurality of detectors, readout array chip means electrically connected to said detector array chip means, said readout array chip means comprising a plurality of unit cells each unit cell comprising two or more storage means, including a last storage means, for receiving electrical signals from a corresponding one of said detectors during a sequence of time intervals, said unit cell comprising readout circuitry means for continuous integration of the signals received by said storage means and for read out after integration of the last storage means, drive electronics means on said readout array chip means for providing timing pulses and biases for signals from said storage means to output electronics means, said drive electronics means providing an integration cycle for each unit cell readout circuitry means, wherein the integration cycle of each unit cell readout circuitry means is offset in time so that integration proceeds on all unit cells except one being read out, said output electronics means comprising means for converting analog signals stored on said storage means to digital signals and for storing said digital signals, and data processor means for accessing said digital signals from the output electronics.

Claim 2

A device for analysis of x-ray data from an x-ray source, said device comprising one or more hybrid area sensor means for detecting x-rays, each of said hybrid area sensor means comprising detector array chip means for conversion of said x-rays to electron-hole pairs, said detector array chip means comprising a plurality of detectors, readout array chip means electrically connected to said detector array chip means, said readout array chip means comprising a plurality of unit cells each unit cell comprising two or more storage means, including a last storage means, for receiving electrical signals from a corresponding one of said detectors during a sequence of time intervals, said unit cell comprising readout circuitry means for continuous integration of the signals received by said storage means and for read out after integration of the last storage means, drive electronics means on said readout array chip means for providing timing pulses and biases for signals from said storage means to output electronics means, said drive electronics means providing an integration cycle for each unit cell readout circuitry means, wherein the integration cycle of each unit cell readout circuitry means is offset in time so that integration proceeds on all unit cells except one being read out, said output electronics means comprising means for converting analog signals stored on said storage means to digital signals and for storing said digital signals, and data processor means for accessing said digital signals from the output electronics.

Claim 5

A device for analysis of x-ray data from an x-ray source, said device comprising one or more hybrid area sensor means for detecting x-rays, each of said hybrid area sensor means comprising detector array chip means for conversion of said x-rays to electron-hole pairs, said detector array chip means comprising a plurality of detectors, readout array chip means electrically connected to said detector array chip means, said readout array chip means comprising a plurality of unit cells each unit cell comprising two or more storage means for storing charge from said electron-hole pairs from a corresponding one of said detectors during a sequence of time intervals, one of said storage means being a last storage means said unit cell comprising readout circuitry means for snapshot integration of the signals received by said storage means and for read out after integration of the last storage means, drive electronics means on said readout array chip means for providing timing pulses and biases for signals from said storage means to output electronics, said drive electronics means providing an integration cycle, wherein the integration cycles of each of a plurality of unit cell readout circuits begin at substantially the same time and a new integration cycle proceeds only after said plurality of unit cell charges is read out as unit cell data, said output electronics means comprising means for converting analog signals stored on said storage means to digital signals and for storing said digital signals, and data processor means for accessing said digital signals from the output electronics.

Claim 6

A device for analysis of x-ray data from an x-ray source, said device comprising one or more hybrid area sensor means for detecting x-rays, each of said hybrid area sensor means comprising detector array chip means for conversion of said x-rays to electron-hole pairs, said detector array chip means comprising a plurality of detectors, readout array chip means electrically connected to said detector array chip means, said readout array chip means comprising a plurality of unit cells each unit cell comprising two or more storage means for storing charge from said electron-hole pairs from a corresponding one of said detectors during a sequence of time intervals, one of said storage means being a last storage means said unit cell comprising readout circuitry means for snapshot integration of the signals received by said storage means and for read out after integration of the last storage means, drive electronics means on said readout array chip means for providing timing pulses and biases for signals from said storage means to output electronics, said drive electronics means providing an integration cycle, wherein the integration cycles of each of a plurality of unit cell readout circuits begin at substantially the same time and a new integration cycle proceeds only after said plurality of unit cell charges is read out as unit cell data, said output electronics means comprising means for converting analog signals stored on said storage means to digital signals and for storing said digital signals, and data processor means for accessing said digital signals from the output electronics.

Claim 9

A device for analysis of x-ray data from an x-ray source, said device comprising one or more hybrid area sensor means for detecting x-rays, each of said hybrid area sensor means comprising detector array chip means for conversion of said x-rays to electron-hole pairs, said detector array chip means comprising a plurality of detectors, readout array chip means electrically connected to said detector array chip means, said readout array chip means comprising a plurality of unit cells each unit cell comprising a sequence of storage means for storing electrical signals from a corresponding one of said detectors during a sequence of time intervals, said unit cell comprising readout circuitry means for a sequence of snapshot integrations of the signals received by said storage means and for read out after the last of said sequence of snapshot integrations, drive electronics means on said readout array chip means for providing timing pulses and biases for signals from said storage means to output electronics, said drive electronics means providing an integration period for each unit cell readout circuit, means for switching the electrical signal from one of a plurality of storage means in each unit cell to a next storage means in said sequence, wherein the integration period of each of a plurality of unit cell readout circuits begins at the time that said electrical signal is switched, said output electronics means comprising means for converting analog signals stored on said storage means to digital signals and for storing said digital signals, and data processor means for accessing said digital signals from the output electronics.

Claim 10

A device for analysis of x-ray data from an x-ray source, said device comprising one or more hybrid area sensor means for detecting x-rays, each of said hybrid area sensor means comprising detector array chip means for conversion of said x-rays to electron-hole pairs, said detector array chip means comprising a plurality of detectors, readout array chip means electrically connected to said detector array chip means, said readout array chip means comprising a plurality of unit cells each unit cell comprising a sequence of storage means for storing electrical signals from a corresponding one of said detectors during a sequence of time intervals, said unit cell comprising readout circuitry means for a sequence of snapshot integrations of the signals received by said storage means and for read out after the last of said sequence of snapshot integrations, drive electronics means on said readout array chip means for providing timing pulses and biases for signals from said storage means to output electronics, said drive electronics means providing an integration period for each unit cell readout circuit, means for switching the electrical signal from one of a plurality of storage means in each unit cell to a next storage means in said sequence, wherein the integration period of each of a plurality of unit cell readout circuits begins at the time that said electrical signal is switched, said output electronics means comprising means for converting analog signals stored on said storage means to digital signals and for storing said digital signals, and data processor means for accessing said digital signals from the output electronics.

Claim 13

The device as in one of claims 1-6, further comprising a means to attenuate the x-rays and to emit electrons into the detector array chip means, said means to attenuate being located between said detector array chips and an x-ray source.

Claim 14

The device as in one of claims 1-6 further comprising a means to attenuate x-rays and to emit light photons into the detector array chip means, said means to attenuate being located between said detector array chips and an x-ray source.

Claim 17

The device as in one of claims 1-6 wherein the detector array chip means comprises a semiconductor.

Claim 20

The device as in one of claims 1-6, wherein said hybrid area sensor means have non-detecting sensor areas and said hybrid area sensor means are stacked in a three dimensional configuration having an offset so that substantially no x-rays impact non-detecting sensor areas.

Claim 21

The device as in one of claims 1-6, wherein said readout array chip means electrically connected to said detector array chip means is connected by conducting bump pads having sufficient thickness to protect the unit cell circuitry from radiation damage.

Claim 23

The device as in one of claims 1-6, wherein the dimension of each detector and each unit cell is 20 to 400 microns.

Claim 24

The device as in one of claims 1-6, wherein each storage means is a capacitor.

Claim 25

The device as in one of claims 1-6, wherein said unit cell readout circuitry comprises a source follower per unit cell.

Claim 26

The device as in one of claims 1-6, wherein said unit cell readout circuitry comprises a shift register adapted to sequence between a plurality of said storage means.

Claim 27

The device as in one of claims 1-4, wherein said unit cell readout circuitry includes means to continuously integrate and readout data for an integration period greater than 0.1 ms.

Claim 28

The device as in one of claims 1-6, wherein said unit cell readout circuitry includes means to continuously integrate and store data for an integration period greater than 1 ns and less than 1 ms.