A Brief Technical History of the Large-Area Picosecond Photodetector (LAPPD) Collaboration

Bernhard W. Adams; Klaus Attenkofer; Mircea Bogdan; Karen Byrum; Andrey Elagin; Jeffrey W. Elam; Henry J. Frisch; Jean-Francois Genat; Herve Grabas; Joseph Gregar; Elaine Hahn; Mary Heintz; Zinetula Insepov; Valentin Ivanov; Sharon Jelinsky; Slade Jokely; Sun Wu Lee; Anil. U. Mane; Jason McPhate; Michael J. Minot; Pavel Murat; Kurtis Nishimura; Richard Northrop; Razib Obaid; Eric Oberla; Erik Ramberg; Anatoly Ronzhin; Oswald H. Siegmund; Gregory Sellberg; Neal T. Sullivan; Anton Tremsin; Gary Varner; Igor Veryovkin; Alexei Vostrikov; Robert G. Wagner; Dean Walters; Hsien-Hau Wang; Matthew Wetstein; Junqi Xi; Zikri Yusov; Alexander Zinovev

arXiv · 1603.01843

A Brief Technical History of the Large-Area Picosecond Photodetector (LAPPD) Collaboration

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The Large Area Picosecond PhotoDetector (LAPPD) Collaboration was formed in 2009 to develop large-area photodetectors capable of time resolutions measured in pico-seconds, with accompanying sub-millimeter spatial resolution. During the next three and one-half years the Collaboration developed the LAPPD design of 20 x 20 cm modules with gains greater than $10^7$ and non-uniformity less than $15\%$, time resolution less than 50 psec for single photons and spatial resolution of 700~microns in both lateral dimensions. We describe the R\&D performed to develop large-area micro-channel plate glass substrates, resistive and secondary-emitting coatings, large-area bialkali photocathodes, and RF-capable hermetic packaging. In addition, the Collaboration developed the necessary electronics for large systems capable of precise timing, built up from a custom low-power 15-GigaSample/sec waveform sampling 6-channel integrated circuit and supported by a two-level modular data acquisition system based on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays for local control, data-sparcification, and triggering. We discuss the formation, organization, and technical successes and short-comings of the Collaboration. The Collaboration ended in December 2012 with a transition from R\&D to commercialization.

Explore related subjects

physics.ins-det hep-ex

Keep this discovery

BibTeX RIS

Bernhard W. Adams, Klaus Attenkofer, Mircea Bogdan, Karen Byrum, Andrey Elagin, Jeffrey W. Elam, Henry J. Frisch, Jean-Francois Genat, Herve Grabas, Joseph Gregar, Elaine Hahn, Mary Heintz, Zinetula Insepov, Valentin Ivanov, Sharon Jelinsky, Slade Jokely, Sun Wu Lee, Anil. U. Mane, Jason McPhate, Michael J. Minot, Pavel Murat, Kurtis Nishimura, Richard Northrop, Razib Obaid, Eric Oberla, Erik Ramberg, Anatoly Ronzhin, Oswald H. Siegmund, Gregory Sellberg, Neal T. Sullivan, Anton Tremsin, Gary Varner, Igor Veryovkin, Alexei Vostrikov, Robert G. Wagner, Dean Walters, Hsien-Hau Wang, Matthew Wetstein, Junqi Xi, Zikri Yusov, Alexander Zinovev. 2016-03-06. A Brief Technical History of the Large-Area Picosecond Photodetector (LAPPD) Collaboration. https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.01843

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

High-Speed Semi-FE Readout Module for ATLAS MDT at HL-LHC: Design and Production-Level Characterization

The High-Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) introduces increased demands on the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer, particularly in terms of data throughput, timing distribution and system reliability. The Phase-II Chamber Service Module (CSM) is a key component of the upgraded Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) trigger and readout system, providing a high-speed interface between the front-end electronics and the backend systems. This paper describes the design and implementation of the Phase-II CSM, together with its validation. The results show that the CSM supports two independent optical uplinks, each operating at a line rate of 10.24 Gbps, together with clock distribution and slow control in the expected operating environment. Integration with small-diameter MDT (sMDT) chambers and tests with the prototype L0MDT trigger system are also presented. The CSM boards are now in production and will be used for installation and integration during the upcoming LHC Long Shutdown.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Spectral Discrimination of Deposited Gamma-Ray Energies in a Simulated CeBr$_3$ Scintillator

We show that wavelength measurements of individual detected optical photons may provide additional information about gamma-ray energy deposited in a CeBr$_3$ crystal when the detected-photon-count distributions overlap for nearby gamma-ray energies. Monoenergetic 662 and 629 keV gammas are used in a Geant4 simulation of a $25\times25\times20~\mathrm{mm^3}$ CeBr$_3$ crystal. Assuming a light yield of $6.0\times10^4$ photons/MeV, a wavelength-independent photon-detection efficiency of 30%, and a wavelength resolution of $\sigma_{\lambda}=40$ nm, we find that the fraction of photons reconstructed above 385 nm gives an event-level separation of $\sim$ 2 standard deviations between the 662 and 629 keV event populations selected within the same $\sim$ 1%-wide detected-photon-count interval. No timing or reconstructed interaction-position information is used. The result demonstrates, within the present simulation model, that event-dependent optical spectra can retain energy information beyond an undifferentiated photon count.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Operation of a negative ion gas time projection chamber without electronegative fill gases

The high fidelity reconstruction of particle tracks in micropatterned gaseous time projection chambers renders this technology ideal for future rare-event searches, including direction-sensitive dark matter experiments. Large drift distances are typically required for such experiments, so that the overall spatial resolution is limited by diffusion. Negative ion drift exhibits lower diffusion than electron drift and is thus an attractive option for realising a large-scale detector. The use of electronegative gases to create negative ions introduces technical challenges, most notably a reduction in gain when compared to conventional gas mixtures. In this study, we demonstrate a new method for negative ion generation via dissociative electron attachment using the conventional molecular fill gas CF$_4$. Our optical measurements of negative ion drift indicate electron attachment lengths of $<$1 mm and comparable gain to electron avalanches. The individual negative ion avalanches were also time-resolved, allowing the number of ions reaching the readout to be counted. We measure an improved energy resolution by single ion counting, relative to an integrated electron avalanche signal measured under identical gain conditions.

physics.ins-det↗