title: Characterization of a detector chain using a FPGA-based time-to-digital converter to reconstruct the three-dimensional coordinates of single particles at high flux.
abstract: We report on the development of a novel FPGA-based time-to-digital converter and its implementation in a detection chain that records the coordinates of single particles along three dimensions. The detector is composed of micro-channel plates mounted on top of a cross delay line and connected to fast electronics. We demonstrate continuous recording of the timing signals from the cross delay line at rates up to 4.1 × 10(6) s(-1) and three-dimensional reconstruction of the coordinates up to 3.2 × 10(6) particles per second. From the imaging of a calibrated structure we measure the in-plane resolution of the detector to be 140(20) μm at a flux of 3 × 10(5) particles per second. In addition, we analyze a method to estimate the resolution without placing any structure under vacuum, a significant practical improvement. While we use UV photons here, the results of this work apply to the detection of other kinds of particles.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, 91127 Palaiseau cedex, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nogrette
authors.affiliation: Fédération de Recherche LUMAT (DTPI), CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, Univ. Paris-Saclay, F-91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heurteau
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, 91127 Palaiseau cedex, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, 91127 Palaiseau cedex, France.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bouton
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, 91127 Palaiseau cedex, France.
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Westbrook
authors.affiliation: Fédération de Recherche LUMAT (DTPI), CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, Univ. Paris-Saclay, F-91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sellem
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, 91127 Palaiseau cedex, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clément