Abstract
An array of DEPFET pixels is one of several concepts to implement an active pixel sensor. Similar to PNCCD and SDD detectors, the typically 450 μm-thick silicon sensor is fully depleted by the principle of sideward depletion. They have furthermore in common to be back-illuminated detectors, which allows for ultrathin and homogeneous photon entrance windows. This enables relatively high quantum efficiencies at low energies and close to 100% for photon energies between 1 and 10 keV. Steering of the DEPFET sensor is enabled by the so-called Switcher ASIC, and readout is performed by, e.g., a VERITAS ASIC. The configuration enables a readout time of a few microseconds per row. This results in full frame readout times of a few milliseconds for a 512 × 512 pixel array in a rolling shutter mode. The read noise is then typically three electrons equivalent noise charge RMS. DEPFET detectors can be applied in particular for spectroscopy in the energy band from 0.2 to 20 keV. For example, an energy resolution of about 130 eV FWHM is achieved at an energy of 6 keV which is close to the theoretical limit given by Fano noise. Pixel sizes of a few tens of microns up to a centimeter are feasible by the DEPFET concept.
References
A. Bähr et al., Development of DEPFET active pixel sensors to improve the spectroscopic response for high time resolution applications, in Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 9144 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055411
A. Bähr, R. Richter, F. Schopper, J. Treis, Detector assembly and corresponding operating method, EP Patent 15001242 (2018)
M. Barbera et al., ATHENA WFI optical blocking filters development status toward the end of the instrument phase-A. Proc. SPIE 10699, 373–385 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2314448
E.J. Bunce et al., The BepiColombo mercury imaging X-ray spectrometer: science goals, instrument performance and operations. Space Sci. Rev. 216, 126 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00750-2
T. Eraerds et al., Enhanced simulations on the Athena/Wide Field Imager instrumental background. J. Astron. Telesc. Instrum. Syst. SPIE 7, 1–22 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.7.3.034001
U. Fano, Ionization yield of radiations. II. The fluctuations of the number of ions. Phys. Rev. 72, 26–29 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.72.26
P. Fischer et al., Readout concepts for DEPFET pixel arrays. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 512(1), 318–325 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(03)01909-0
E. Gatti, P. Rehak, Semiconductor drift chamber – an application of a novel charge transport scheme. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. 225(3), 608–614 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-5087(84)90113-3
C.E. Grant et al., Reducing the Athena WFI charged particle background: results from Geant4 simulations, in Proceedings of SPIE (2020), p. 1144442. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2561124
D. Kahng, M.M. Atalla, Silicon-silicon dioxide field induced surface devices, in IRE-AIEE Solid-State Device Research Conference (1960)
J. Kemmer, G. Lutz, New detector concepts. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 253, 365 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(87)90518-3
C. Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics, 8th edn. (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2004)
B.G. Lowe, R.A. Sareen, A measurement of the electron–hole pair creation energy and the Fano factor in silicon for 5.9 keV X-rays and their temperature dependence in the range 80–270 K. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 576(2–3), 367–370 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2007.03.020
G. Lutz, Semiconductor Radiation Detectors, 1st edn. (Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 1999)
G. Lutz, DEPFET development at the MPI semiconductor laboratory. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 549(1), 103–111 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2005.04.034
P. Majewski et al., Calibration measurements on the DEPFET Detectors for the MIXS instrument on BepiColombo. Exp. Astron. 37, 525–538 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-014-9374-5
N. Meidinger et al., Wide field imager instrument for the Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics. J. Astron. Telesc. Instrum. Syst. SPIE 1, 1–8 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.1.1.014006
N. Meidinger et al., Development status of the wide field imager instrument for Athena. Proc. SPIE 11444, 120–132 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2560507
N. Meidinger et al., eROSITA camera array on the SRG satellite. J. Astron. Telesc. Instrum. Syst. 7, 1–19 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.7.2.025004
J. Müller-Seidlitz et al., Performance study of spectroscopic DEPFET arrays with a pixel-wise storage functionality. J. Instrum. 13(11) (2018a). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/13/11/P11018
J. Müller-Seidlitz et al., Spectroscopic DEPFETs at high frame rates using window mode. J. Instrum. 13(12) (2018b). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/13/12/P12021
K. Nandra et al., The Hot and Energetic Universe – a White paper presenting the science theme motivating the Athena+ mission (2013)
M. Porro et al., ASTEROID: a 64 channel ASIC for source follower readout of DEPFET arrays for X-ray astronomy. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 617(1), 351–357 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2009.10.040
M. Porro et al., VERITAS 2.0 a multi-channel readout ASIC suitable for the DEPFET arrays of the WFI for Athena, in Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 9144 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056097
W. Treberspurg et al., Measurement results of different options for spectroscopic X-ray DEPFET sensors. J. Instrum. 13(09) (2018a). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/13/09/P09014
W. Treberspurg et al., Achievable noise performance of spectroscopic prototype DEPFET detectors. J. Instrum. 13(12) (2018b). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/13/12/P12001
W. Treberspurg et al., Characterization of a 256 × 256 pixel DEPFET detector for the WFI of Athena. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 162555 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2019.162555
J. Treis et al., MIXS on BepiColombo and its DEPFET based focal plane instrumentation. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 624(2), 540–547 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2010.03.173
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Meidinger, N., Müller-Seidlitz, J. (2022). DEPFET Active Pixel Sensors. In: Bambi, C., Santangelo, A. (eds) Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4544-0_20-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4544-0_20-1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-4544-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-4544-0
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics