Single Line of Sight CMOS radiation tolerant camera system design overview

This paper covers the preliminary design of a radiation tolerant nanosecond-gated multi-frame CMOS camera system for use in the NIF. Electrical component performance data from 14 MeV neutron and cobalt 60 radiation testing will be discussed. The recent development of nanosecond-gated multi-frame hybrid-CMOS (hCMOS) focal plane arrays by the Ultrafast X-ray Imaging (UXI) group at Sandia National Lab has generated a need for custom camera electronics to operate in the pulsed radiation environment of the NIF target chamber. Design requirements and performance data for the prototype camera system will be discussed. The design and testing approach for the radiation tolerant camera system will be covered along with the evaluation of commercial off the shelf (COTS) electronic component such as FPGAs, voltage regulators, ADCs, DACs, optical transceivers, and other electronic components. Performance changes from radiation exposure on select components will be discussed. Integration considerations for x-ray imaging diagnostics on the NIF will also be covered.