A microprogrammable high-speed data collection system for position sensitive x-ray detectors

A high-speed data acquisition system has been designed which collect digital data from one- and two-dimensional position sensitive X-ray detectors at a maximum average data rate of 1 MHz. The system consists of two separate fast buffer memories, a 64K word by 20-bit main storage, two timers, a display controller, a computer interface and a keyboard, controlled by a specially designed microprogrammable microprocessor. Data collection is performed by executing a microprogram stored in the control storage; data coming from a detector are first accumulated in a small but fast buffer memory by hardware and transferred to the main storage under control of the microprogram. This design not only permits time-resolved data collections but also provides maximum speed, flexibility and cost-effectiveness simultaneously. The system also accepts data from integrating detectors such as TV cameras. The system has been designed for use in experiments at conventional and synchrotron X-ray sources.     

CdTe-based detectors for recording X-ray pulses with a subnanosecond resolution

Characteristics and manufacturing methods of semiconductor detectors made of pressed cadmium telluride are given. The sensitivity of the detectors is ∼(1–5) × 10⁻¹⁹ A cm² s/quantum. SPPD29k and SPPD29-02 detectors are calibrated by subnanosecond X-ray pulses generated by the СПИН-2 accelerator. The measured pulse durations are τ_0.5 = 0.29 and 0.47 ns, respectively. The X-ray pulse shape of the APCA accelerator is recorded.     

Niobium direct detectors for fast and sensitive terahertz spectroscopy

We report the performance of a niobium hot-electron bolometer designed for laboratory terahertz spectroscopy. The antenna-coupled detector can operate above 4.2 K and has fast (subnanosecond) response. Detailed microwave measurements of performance over a wide range of operating conditions were correlated with quantitative terahertz measurements. The maximum responsivity is 4 x 10(4) VW with a noise equivalent power at the detector of 2 x 10(-14) W/Hz(12), approaching the intrinsic thermal fluctuation limit for the device. This detector enables a variety of novel laboratory spectroscopy measurements.     

Energy resolution of silicon surface-barrier detectors for oxygen and sulphur ions

A group of 9 silicon surface-barrier detectors, 4 manufactured by ORTEC and 5 fabricated by the first author and his students. has been tested for their energy resolutions with oxygen ions of 36.750 and 50 MeV energy and sulphur ions of 51.086 MeV energy from the University of Pittsburgh Van de Graaff accelerator. Six of the detectors had previously been tested with oxygen ions of 25 and 50 MeV energy at Pittsburgh, and those results are compared with the present ones. It is now possible to conclude that the energy resolution of the best detectors is independent of oxygen ion energy between 36.750 and 50 MeV and is about 100 keV (fwhm). When tested with sulphur ions, 4 of the detectors showed anomalous effects, including peaks and smudges both below and above the main peak. Some of these could be eliminated by varying the reverse bias voltage across the detector, others could not. In particular, the ORTEC detector 40, used in the previous work as the standard detector presently available, did not show a single peak at any bias. It is an excellent detector for oxygen ions, but is not useful for sulphur ions. The energy resolution of the best detectors for 51.086 MeV sulphur ions is under 300 keV (fwhm).     

A combined real time wide energy range neutron dosimeter and survey meter for high neutron dose rates with Si surface barrier detectors

The development of a flat response small size, real time neutron dosimeter and ratemeter for the energy range of about 1 eV to 14 MeV is presented. This dosimeter is adequate for measuring neutron dose equivalent of 3 mRem up to 100 Rem and dose rates of 300 mRem/h to 50 Rem/h or more. The dosimeter consists of four Si surface barrier detectors. ¹⁰B radiators are placed in front of three of the detectors and a polyethylene radiator is placed in front of the fourth one. The ¹⁰B pellets are used for dose equivalent measurements in the energy range 1 eV to ∼ 1 MeV. The polyethylene radiator, made in two parts having thicknesses of 10 and 100 mg/cm² in an area ratio of 8 to 1, flattens the response to ±40% in the energy range 1–14 MeV. The signal-to-background ratio for different Si surface barrier detectors and for ¹⁰B polyethylene radiators was investigated. This dosimeter can give a rough estimation of the neutron spectrum by separating the total dose equivalent into 1 eV to ∼ 30 keV, 30 keV to ∼ 1 MeV and 1–14 MeV components.     

Application of a diffraction grating and position sensitive detectors to the measurement of error motion and angular indexing of an indexing table

In this paper, two systems for the measurement of the error motion and angular indexing of a rotary indexing table have been developed. A laser diode, a laser holder and a position sensitive detector (PSD) are integrated as a simple measuring device for the measurement of the rotary error without using a precision reference artifact (a cylinder or a sphere), multiple probes or error separation methods. The laser diode is assembled in the laser holder and fixed on the rotary table. The PSD is set up above the laser holder to detect the position of an incident laser beam from the laser diode. When the rotary table rotates, the rotary error changes the direction of the incident beam and also the position of the spot on the PSD. For the measurement of the angular indexing, a reflective diffraction grating and two PSDs are integrated as a high-resolution angle measuring device without using an autocollimator or a laser interferometer system. The diffraction grating is set at the center of the rotary table and reflects an incident laser beam into several diffractive rays. Two PSDs were set up for detecting the positions of ±1st-order diffraction rays. A simple algebraic method is used to solve the angular indexing through an optical analysis. The experimental results showed the feasibility of the proposed test devices.     

用于光阱刚度测量的位置传感器标定实验研究

对位置传感器的标定通常采用压电陶瓷平台驱动样品池,使固定在样品池底部的直径为2.5μm的聚苯乙烯微球穿过轴向位置不同的光阱,由位置传感器获取微球的位移信息。实验结果表明,当光阱在轴向不同位置时,传感器探测灵敏度有差别。实测中应采用微球和光阱处于相同轴向位置的标定结果。     

A method for measuring spectral and time characteristics of mixed pulsed gamma-neutron fields with scintillation and Cherenkov detectors with nanosecond time resolution

A method for measuring spectral and time characteristics of pulsed mixed (n, γ) fields is described. The essence of this method is that a sequence of signals from individual (n, γ) particles registered by (n, γ) detectors is written in a computer with the subsequent amplitude-time analysis of the signal parameters. Fast scintillation and Cherenkov detectors with FWHM of pulses of ～1.5 and 2.5 ns, respectively, are used as (n, γ) detectors. A TDS-3054 broadband digital oscilloscope records signals and transmits them to the computer through a GPIB-USB interface. The equipment used ensures efficient detection of (n, γ) particles at detector counting rates of up to ～2 × 10⁸ pulses/s. The efficiency of this method has been tested in measurements of characteristics of (n, γ) radiation fields from an ИНГ-031 pulsed neutron generator and from a copper target irradiated with a beam of carbon nuclei with an energy of 200 MeV/amu from the TVN-ITEF acceleration-storage complex.     

Processing of amplitude spectra in measurements with ionizing radiation by low energy resolution detectors

A method using intermediate processing of amplitude (energy) spectra is described. The method is an alternative to the known differential discrimination method, which is widely applied in measurements of EXAFS spectra and in Mössbauer and diffraction measurements. The method is efficient in cases in which the radiation spectrum contains lines poorly resolved in the used detector. For example, if weak fluorescence of a low-concentration impurity is detected in a sample against the background of intense fluorescence of the matrix, the described method allows one to noticeably improve the quality of the obtained information.     

Transmissive x-ray beam position monitors with submicron position- and submillisecond time resolution

We present the development of fast transmissive center-of-mass x-ray beam position monitors with a large active area, based on a thinned position sensitive detector in both a duo- and a tetra-lateral variant. The detectors were tested at BESSY beamlines BL14.1, KMC-1, and KMC-2 and yielded signal currents of up to 3 microA/100 mA ring current at 10 keV photon energy using the monochromatic focused beam of BL14.1. The active area sizes were 1 x 1 and 3 x 3 mm(2) for the duo-lateral and 5 x 5 mm(2) for the tetra-lateral devices, with the duo-lateral detectors currently being available in sizes from 1 x 1 to 10 x 10 mm(2) and thicknesses between 5 and 10 microm. The presented detectors' thicknesses were measured to be 5 and 8 microm with a corresponding transmission of up to 93% at 10 keV and 15% at 2.5 keV. Up to a detection bandwidth of 10 kHz, the monitors provide submicron position resolution. For lower detection bandwidths, the signal-to-noise reaches values of up to 6 x 10(4) at 10 Hz, corresponding to a position resolution of better than 50 nm for both detector sizes. As it stands, this monitor design approach promises to be a generic solution for automation of state-of-the-art crystal monochromator beamlines.     

Calibration of the neutron detectors for the cluster fusion experiment on the Texas Petawatt Laser

Three types of neutron detectors (plastic scintillation detectors, indium activation detectors, and CR-39 track detectors) were calibrated for the measurement of 2.45 MeV DD fusion neutron yields from the deuterium cluster fusion experiment on the Texas Petawatt Laser. A Cf-252 neutron source and 2.45 MeV fusion neutrons generated from laser-cluster interaction were used as neutron sources. The scintillation detectors were calibrated such that they can detect up to 10(8) DD fusion neutrons per shot in current mode under high electromagnetic pulse environments. Indium activation detectors successfully measured neutron yields as low as 10(4) per shot and up to 10(11) neutrons. The use of a Cf-252 neutron source allowed cross calibration of CR-39 and indium activation detectors at high neutron yields (～10(11)). The CR-39 detectors provided consistent measurements of the total neutron yield of Cf-252 when a modified detection efficiency of 4.6×10(-4) was used. The combined use of all three detectors allowed for a detection range of 10(4) to 10(11) neutrons per shot.     

Optical microscopy with improved resolution using two-beam interference of low-coherence light

In recent years, high-resolution microscopy using structured illumination has been practically applied for fluorescent bio-imaging. However, there is a large amount of speckle noise in reflected- and scattered-light images, because structured illumination is typically generated by laser-beam interference. Hence, this high-resolution imaging technique cannot be effectively used in industrial applications. In this study, we attempted to generate structured illumination using two-beam interference of low-coherence light for high-resolution and low-speckle imaging. First, we constructed an optical system consisting of a Michelson interferometer configured in such a manner that it achieved zero optical path-length difference and allowed the interference fringes to be manipulated. Then, we confirmed that the generated structured illumination width corresponded to the coherence length of the light source. As a final result of the resolution improvement experiment, the narrow sample pitch of 0.4 μm was successfully resolved beyond the diffraction limit of 0.74 μm with relatively less speckle noise.     

Nano-scale multi-layered coatings for improved efficiency of ceramic cutting tools

Electron beam welding, though considered a sophisticated welding process, still requires the operator to first carry out several trial welds to find the right combination of welding parameters based on intuition and experience. This archaic method is often unreliable, leading to unproductive manufacturing lead time, man hours, quality control tests, and material wastage. The current study eliminates this “trial and error” method by providing a reliable model which can predict the right combination of weld parameters to achieve a high-quality weld. Beads on plate welds were carried out on AISI 304 stainless steel plates using a low-kilovolt electron beam welding (EBW) machine. A model that can predict weld bead geometry and provide optimized output for minimum weld area condition without compromising on weld quality was developed. Experimental data were collected as per full factorial design of experiments, and the levels for each input parameter were established through pilot experiments. A multivariate regression analysis has been conducted to establish a relationship between four weld input parameters (three levels each) and four weld bead responses. Response surface methodology (RSM) has been used to study the interrelationship between input parameters and their effect on each response variable. Further, minimization of weld cross-sectional area was done using genetic algorithm for maximum penetration and minimum weld area condition. The optimized mathematical model convincingly establishes that the focusing current is a significant input parameter with very high influence over the weld bead geometry. Extensive material characterization and mechanical tests have been carried out to validate the regressed input-output relationship and the optimized mathematical model.     

A new method for accurate efficiency calibration of X-ray detectors for X-ray energies below 5 keV

A new method for accurate efficiency calibration of X-ray detectors for X-ray energies below 5 keV is presented. It is shown that it is possible to use a standard surface barrier detector (SBD) as X-ray detector for X-ray energies E_x ≥ 1 keV if it is cooled to the temperature of liquid nitrogen. Also, it is shown that the physical parameters of a SBD can be separately measured with sufficient accuracy so that the efficiency can be determined with an error less than 1% for X-ray energies 1 ≤ E_x ≤ 5 keV.     

Imaging modes for potential mapping in semiconductor devices by electron holography with improved lateral resolution

Electron holography is the highest resolving tool for dopant profiling at nanometre-scale resolution. In order to measure the object areas of interest in a hologram, both a wide field of view and a sufficient lateral resolution are required. The usual path of rays for recording holograms with an electron biprism using the standard objective lens does not meet these requirements, because the field of view amounts to some 10 nm only, however, at a resolution of 0.1 nm better than needed here. Therefore, instead of the standard objective lens, the Lorentz lens is widely used for holography of semiconductors, since it provides a field of view up to 1000 nm at a sufficient lateral resolution of about 10 nm. Since the size of semiconductor structures is steadily shrinking, there is now a need for better lateral resolution at an appropriate field of view. Therefore, additional paths of rays for recording holograms are studied with special emphasis on the parameters field of view and lateral resolution. The findings allow an optimized scheme with a field of view of 200 nm and a lateral resolution of 3.3 nm filling the gap between the existing set-ups. In addition, the Lorentz lens is no longer required for investigation of non-magnetic materials, since the new paths of rays are realized with the standard objective lens and diffraction lens. An example proves the applicability of this arrangement for future semiconductor technology.     

Elastic incoherent neutron scattering operating by varying instrumental energy resolution: principle, simulations, and experiments of the resolution elastic neutron scattering (RENS)

The main aim of this paper is to present the scientific case of the resolution elastic neutron scattering (RENS) method that is based on the collection of elastic neutron scattering intensity as a function of the instrumental energy resolution and that is able to extract information on the system dynamical properties from an elastic signal. In this framework, it is shown that in the measured elastic scattering law, as a function of the instrumental energy resolution, an inflection point occurs when the instrumental energy resolution intersects the system relaxation time, and in an equivalent way, a transition in the temperature behavior of the measured elastic scattering law occurs when the characteristic system relaxation time crosses the instrumental energy resolution time. With regard to the latter, an operative protocol to determine the system characteristic time by different elastic incoherent neutron scattering (EINS) thermal scans at different instrumental energy resolutions is also proposed. The proposed method, hence, is not primarily addressed to collect the measured elastic scattering intensity with a great accuracy, but rather relies on determining an inflection point in the measured elastic scattering law versus instrumental energy resolution. The RENS method is tested both numerically and experimentally. As far as numerical simulations are concerned, a simple model system for which the temperature behavior of the relaxation time follows an Arrhenius law, while its scattering law follows a Gaussian behavior, is considered. It is shown that the system relaxation time used as an input for the simulations coincides with the one obtained by the RENS approach. Regarding the experimental findings, due to the fact that a neutron scattering spectrometer working following the RENS method has not been constructed yet, different EINS experiments with different instrumental energy resolutions were carried out on a complex model system, i.e., dry and D(2)O hydrated lysozyme, in an extended temperature range. The resulting temperature behavior of the system relaxation time, obtained with RENS method, agrees very well with the one obtained in literature, for the same system, following the quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) approach. The proposed scientific case puts into evidence the challenges of an RENS spectrometer working by varying the instrumental energy resolution; in particular, in comparison with QENS, the proposed RENS method requires a smaller amount of sample, which is an important point in dealing with biological and exotic systems; it is not affected by the use of model functions for fitting spectra as in QENS, but furnishes a direct access to relevant information.     

Temperature as sensitive monitor for efficiency of work in abrasive flow machining

Work efficiency is considered as most concerned target in abrasive flow machining (AFM). It has many influence factors, such as, temperature, media viscosity, abrasive hardness, particles sharpness and density, workpiece hardness, pressure, piston moving speed, etc. The influence of temperature on work efficiency is most critical. In this investigation, both commercial AFM equipment and test rig are used to carry out AFM experiments. AISI1080, 1045 and A36 steels are used as specimens in the tests. It has been shown from AFM tests that media viscosity decreases continuously with increasing temperature. Media temperature increases with increasing cycles, which means media viscosity decreases with cycles increasing. AFM tests shows that increasing cycles extensively decrease materials removal and surface roughness decreasing efficiency. When media with different viscosity is used media with high viscosity has more effective material removal efficiency. The high viscosity media to surface roughness improvement is also better than the low viscosity media at the initial several cycle numbers. With further increasing cycles the roughness improvement difference among different media with different viscosity is reduced. It is found from Mooney viscosity–temperature relation of media that temperature rising directly results in the decrease of media viscosity. When work cycles are increased the media temperature is quickly increased. The media viscosity is also decreased dramatically. In order to understand the mechanism of decrease of material removal efficiency with temperature, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is applied to predict the abrasive particles movement tendency. A two-dimensional model is constructed for AFM process. The simulation results show that the temperature rising of media results in increasing the rolling tendency of abrasive particles which causes work efficiency deteriorated.     

Design optimization for mixed-flow pump impeller by improved suction performance and efficiency with variables of specific speeds

In this study, the shape of a mixed-flow pump impeller and its flow characteristics as a function of the specific speed are studied to improve its suction     

Initial resolution measurements of an improved magnetic-electrostatic detector objective lens for LVSEM

In this paper we present some initial resolution measurements of an improved magnetic-electrostatic detector objective lens for a low-voltage scanning electron microscope. The electron optical design of the lens was already proposed by the authors [G. Knell, E. Plies, Nucl. Instr. & Meth. A 427 (1999) 99]. The magnetic circuit of this lens has a radially arranged pole-piece gap. Thus, the specimen is immersed in a strong magnetic field of 106 mT (working distance: 1 mm, primary electron energy: 200 eV). The electrostatic field strength of our optimized lens variant amounts to a moderate value of 100 V/mm for a working distance of 1 mm. At a final beam energy of 1 keV a resolution of 3 nm, at 260 eV a resolution of 5 nm was obtained.