Search

A charge sensitive readout chain has been designed and fabricated in acommercially available 0.8 μm CMOS technology. The readout chain is optimizedfor pixel detectors measuring soft X-ray energies up to 20 KeV. In the first modean analog signal proportional to input charge is generated and processed in realtime. In the second mode a peak-and-hold operation is enabled and therelevant signal is processed in later time. This dual mode of operation iscontrolled by an external digital signal. The readout chain consists of a chargeamplifier, a shaper, an operational amplifier which can either operate as avoltage amplifier or a peak detector and an output buffer. Its area is $$270\mu {\text{m}} \times {\text{150}}\mu {\text{m}}$$ . The gain at the shaper output is 378 mv/fC, theENC is 16 $$e^ - $$ rms at 160 nsec shaping time. The overall gainis 557 mV/fC, the ENC is $$13\;e^ - $$ rms with 240 nsec peaking timeand 1.4 μsec recovery time. The overall power dissipation is 1.5 mWatt with aload capacitance of 25 pF.