Detectors
|
N.
Goyal
,
F. J.
Iguaz
,
S.
Aplin
,
A.
Balerna
,
P.
Bell
,
J.
Casas
,
M.
Cascella
,
S.
Chatterji
,
C.
Cohen
,
E.
Collet
,
E N.
Gimenez
,
H.
Graafsma
,
H.
Hirsemann
,
K.
Klementiev
,
T.
Kolodziej
,
T.
Martin
,
Ralf H.
Menk
,
C.
Menneglier
,
C.
Meraihia
,
J. R.
Murias
,
M.
Porro
,
M.
Quispe
,
B.
Schmitt
,
S.
Scully
,
M.
Turcato
,
C.
Ward
,
E.
Welter
Open Access
Abstract: The first operational prototype of a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector developed within the European LEAPS-INNOV project is presented in this work. This prototype features a monolithic, multi-element sensor optimized for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy in the hard X-ray regime, intended for handing high count rates of 30 Mcps, across a broad energy range (5–100 keV). The present prototype demonstrates a throughput of about 150–200 kcps/pixel, corresponding to a total count rate of about 1.5–2 Mcps for the full 10 element detector. We discuss here a complete laboratory-based characterization of the detector’s performance, as well as an on-beam evaluation at the BM05 beamline of the ESRF synchrotron facility, using monochromatic X-rays in the 20–50 keV energy range. We provide a detailed performance assessment that also includes a phenomenological defect-depth estimation model.
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Dec 2026
|
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Detectors
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N.
Goyal
,
S.
Aplin
,
A.
Balerna
,
P.
Bell
,
J.
Casas
,
M.
Cascella
,
S.
Chatterji
,
C.
Cohen
,
E.
Collet
,
P.
Fajardo
,
E. N.
Gimenez
,
H.
Graafsma
,
H.
Hiresmann
,
F.j.
Iguaz
,
K.
Klementiv
,
K.
Kolodjiez
,
L.
Manzanillas
,
T.
Martin
,
R. H.
Menk
,
M.
Porro
,
M.
Quispe
,
B.
Schmitt
,
S.
Scully
,
M.
Turcato
,
C.
Ward
,
E.
Welter
Abstract: The XAFS-DET work package of the European LEAPS-INNOV project is developing high-purity Germanium detectors for synchrotron applications requiring spectroscopic-grade response. The detectors integrate three key features: (1) newly designed monolithic Germanium sensors optimised to mitigate charge-sharing events, (2) an improved cooling and mechanical design structure supported by thermal simulations, and (3) complete electronic chain featuring a low-noise CMOS technology based preamplifier, enabling high X-ray count rate capability over a broad energy range (5-100 keV). This paper discusses the first integration and characterization of one of the two multi-element Ge detectors at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). The integration phase included validating high-throughput front-end electronics, integrating them with the Ge sensor, and operating them at liquid nitrogen temperature, in addition to the experimental characterization, which consists of electronics noise study and spectroscopic performance evaluation.
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Jul 2025
|
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Detectors
|
N.
Goyal
,
S.
Aplin
,
A.
Balerna
,
P.
Bell
,
J.
Casas
,
M.
Cascella
,
S.
Chatterji
,
C.
Cohen
,
E.
Collet
,
G.
Dennis
,
P.
Fajardo
,
E. N.
Gimenez
,
H.
Graafsma
,
H.
Hiresmann
,
F. J.
Iguaz
,
K.
Klementiev
,
T.
Kolodziej
,
L.
Manzanillas
,
T.
Martin
,
R. H.
Menk
,
M.
Porro
,
M.
Quispe
,
B.
Schmitt
,
S.
Scully
,
M.
Turcato
,
C.
Ward
,
E.
Welter
Open Access
Abstract: This study presents a detailed simulation-based analysis of the detection limits of multi-element monolithic Germanium (Ge) detectors to cadmium traces in environmental soil samples. Using the capabilities of the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit in combination with the Solid State Detector Package, we evaluated the detection limit variation with the sample-to-detector distances and photon flux. These simulations were conducted to mimic realistic conditions, with a photon flux measured by the SAMBA beamline at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. Our findings for the detection limit for trace amounts of pollutants in low concentrations like cadmium in the soil provide valuable insights for optimizing experimental setups in environmental monitoring and synchrotron-based applications, where precise detection of trace elements is critical.
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May 2025
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Detectors
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E. N.
Gimenez
,
A.
Balerna
,
M.
Cascella
,
S.
Chatterji
,
C.
Cohen
,
P.
Fajardo
,
H.
Graafsma
,
N.
Goyal
,
H.
Hirsemann
,
F. J.
Iguaz
,
K.
Klementiev
,
T.
Kołodziej
,
T.
Martin
,
R. H.
Menk
,
M.
Porro
,
M.
Quispe
,
B.
Schmitt
,
S.
Scully
,
J.
Spiers
,
M.
Turcato
,
C.
Ward
,
E.
Welter
Open Access
Abstract: Recent upgrades in synchrotron radiation facilities, which now produce highly brilliant and coherent beams, result in a broader array of experiments challenging the available detectors. In X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) experiments, detector performance is often a limiting factor, especially with the high photon fluxes from upgraded facilities. Within this context, a consortium of European facilities has joined under the LEAPS-INNOV project to push the current technologies and develop a germanium detector that can operate under high photon fluxes. The latest status of the XAFS detector development is presented here. The project has moved from the design and simulations phase to the assembled stage, with the sensor, electronic chain and mechanics being manufactured and tested. Next steps are focused on integrating all parts together and characterize the detector performance with X-ray beam.
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May 2025
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Detectors
|
L.
Manzanillas
,
S.
Aplin
,
A.
Balerna
,
P.
Bell
,
J.
Casas
,
M.
Cascella
,
S.
Chatterji
,
C.
Cohen
,
G.
Dennis
,
P.
Fajardo
,
H.
Graafsma
,
H.
Hirsemann
,
F. J.
Iguaz
,
K.
Klementiev
,
T.
Kołodziej
,
T.
Martin
,
R.
Menk
,
F.
Orsini
,
M.
Porro
,
M.
Quispe
,
B.
Schmitt
,
N.
Tartoni
,
M.
Turcato
,
C.
Ward
,
E.
Welter
Abstract: In past years efforts have concentrated on the development of arrays of Silicon Drift Detectors for X-ray spectroscopy. This is in stark contrast to the little effort that has been devoted to the improvement of germanium detectors, in particular for synchrotron applications. Germanium detectors have better energy resolution and are more efficient in detecting high energy photons than silicon detectors. In this context, the detector consortium of the European project LEAPS-INNOV has set an ambitious R&D program devoted to the development of a new generation of multi-element monolithic germanium detectors for X-ray detection. In order to improve the performance of the detector under development, simulations of the different detector design options have been performed. In this contribution, the efforts in terms of R&D are outlined with a focus on the modelization of the detector geometry and first performance results. These performance results show that a signal-to-background ratio larger than 1000 can be achieved in the energy range of interest from 5 keV to 100 keV.
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Dec 2022
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Detectors
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F.
Orsini
,
S.
Aplin
,
A.
Balerna
,
P.
Bell
,
J.
Casas
,
M.
Cascella
,
S.
Chatterji
,
C.
Cohen
,
G.
Dennis
,
P.
Fajardo
,
H.
Graafsma
,
H.
Hirsemann
,
F. J.
Iguaz
,
K.
Klementiev
,
T.
Kołodziej
,
L.
Manzanillas
,
T.
Martin
,
R.
Menk
,
M.
Porro
,
M.
Quispe
,
B.
Schmitt
,
N.
Tartoni
,
M.
Turcato
,
C.
Ward
,
E.
Welter
Abstract: The high brilliance and coherent beams resulting from recent upgraded synchrotron radiation facilities open the way for a large range of experiments, where detectors play a key role in the techniques and methods developed to fully exploit the upgraded synchrotron. For instance, one of the major limitations of XAFS experiment is the performance of the detectors. In order to be able to measure more challenging samples and to cope with the very high photon flux of the current and future (diffraction limited) sources, technological developments of detectors are necessary. In this framework, the germanium detector developed in the European project LEAPS-INNOV aims at improving several technological aspects. This type of detector represents a very important class of instruments for X-ray spectroscopy due to the fact that they enable to detect efficiently photons of considerable higher energy with respect to silicon detectors. The objective of this project consists in pushing the detector performance beyond the state-of-the-art. Preliminary layout and main choices for the design studies of this new detector are presented in this paper.
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Oct 2022
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Metrology
Optics
|
Giuseppe
Mercurio
,
Jaromír
Chalupský
,
Ioana-Theodora
Nistea
,
Michael
Schneider
,
Věra
Hájková
,
Natalia
Gerasimova
,
Robert
Carley
,
Michele
Cascella
,
Loïc
Le Guyader
,
Laurent
Mercadier
,
Justine
Schlappa
,
Kiana
Setoodehnia
,
Martin
Teichmann
,
Alexander
Yaroslavtsev
,
Tomáš
Burian
,
Vojtĕch
Vozda
,
Luděk
Vyšín
,
Jan
Wild
,
David
Hickin
,
Alessandro
Silenzi
,
Marijan
Stupar
,
Jan
Torben Delitz
,
Carsten
Broers
,
Alexander
Reich
,
Bastian
Pfau
,
Stefan
Eisebitt
,
Daniele
La Civita
,
Harald
Sinn
,
Maurizio
Vannoni
,
Simon G.
Alcock
,
Libor
Juha
,
Andreas
Scherz
Open Access
Abstract: A real-time and accurate characterization of the X-ray beam size is essential to enable a large variety of different experiments at free-electron laser facilities. Typically, ablative imprints are employed to determine shape and size of µm-focused X-ray beams. The high accuracy of this state-of-the-art method comes at the expense of the time required to perform an ex-situ image analysis. In contrast, diffraction at a curved grating with suitably varying period and orientation forms a magnified image of the X-ray beam, which can be recorded by a 2D pixelated detector providing beam size and pointing jitter in real time. In this manuscript, we compare results obtained with both techniques, address their advantages and limitations, and demonstrate their excellent agreement. We present an extensive characterization of the FEL beam focused to ≈1 µm by two Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) mirrors, along with optical metrology slope profiles demonstrating their exceptionally high quality. This work provides a systematic and comprehensive study of the accuracy provided by curved gratings in real-time imaging of X-ray beams at a free-electron laser facility. It is applied here to soft X-rays and can be extended to the hard X-ray range. Furthermore, curved gratings, in combination with a suitable detector, can provide spatial properties of µm-focused X-ray beams at MHz repetition rate.
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May 2022
|
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Metrology
Optics
|
Giuseppe
Mercurio
,
Carsten
Broers
,
Robert
Carley
,
Jan Torben
Delitz
,
Natalia
Gerasimova
,
Loïc
Le Guyarder
,
Laurent
Mercadier
,
Alexander
Reich
,
Justine
Schlappa
,
Martin
Teichmann
,
Alexander
Yaroslavtsev
,
Michele
Cascella
,
Kiana
Setoodehnia
,
Michael
Schneider
,
Bastian
Pfau
,
Stefan
Eisebitt
,
Vojtech
Vozda
,
Anna
Hajkova
,
Ludek
Vysin
,
Tomas
Burian
,
Jaromir
Chalupský
,
Libor
Juha
,
Simon G.
Alcock
,
Ioana-Theodora
Nistea
,
Daniele
La Civita
,
Harald
Sinn
,
Maurizio
Vannoni
,
Andreas
Scherz
Abstract: The Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering (SCS) instrument of the European XFEL is a soft X-ray beamline aiming to unravel electronic, spin and structural properties of materials in ultrafast processes at the nanoscale. Various experimental techniques offered at SCS have different requirements in terms of beam size at the sample. Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) refocusing optics equipped with mechanical benders allows for independent change of the horizontal and vertical beam size. We report here on the first characterization of the SCS KB mirrors by means of a novel diffraction-based technique which images the beam profile on a 2D pixelated detector. This approach provides a quick characterization of micrometer beam sizes. Results are compared with metrology measurements obtained with a non-contact slope profiler.
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Sep 2019
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I02-Macromolecular Crystallography
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[9107]
Open Access
Abstract: The catalytic mechanism of the cyclic amidohydrolase isatin hydrolase depends on a catalytically active manganese in the substrate-binding pocket. The Mn2+ ion is bound by a motif also present in other metal dependent hydrolases like the bacterial kynurenine formamidase. The crystal structures of the isatin hydrolases from Labrenzia aggregata and Ralstonia solanacearum combined with activity assays allow for the identification of key determinants specific for the reaction mechanism. Active site residues central to the hydrolytic mechanism include a novel catalytic triad Asp-His-His supported by structural comparison and hybrid quantum mechanics/classical mechanics simulations. A hydrolytic mechanism for a Mn2+ dependent amidohydrolases that disfavour Zn2+ as the primary catalytically active site metal proposed here is supported by these likely cases of convergent evolution. The work illustrates a fundamental difference in the substrate-binding mode between Mn2+ dependent isatin hydrolase like enzymes in comparison with the vast number of Zn2+ dependent enzymes.
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Aug 2018
|
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Christin S.
Bolze
,
Rachel E.
Helbling
,
Robin
Owen
,
Arwen
Pearson
,
Guillaume
Pompidor
,
Florian
Dworkowski
,
Martin R.
Fuchs
,
Julien
Furrer
,
Marcin
Golczak
,
Krzysztof
Palczewski
,
Michele
Cascella
,
Achim
Stocker
Abstract: Cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP) chaperones 11-cis-retinal to convert opsin receptor molecules into photosensitive retinoid pigments of the eye. We report a thermal secondary isomerase activity of CRALBP when bound to 9-cis-retinal. UV/vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy were used to characterize the product as 9,13-dicis-retinal. The X-ray structure of the CRALBP mutant R234W:9-cis-retinal complex at 1.9 Å resolution revealed a niche in the binding pocket for 9-cis-aldehyde different from that reported for 11-cis-retinal. Combined computational, kinetic, and structural data lead us to propose an isomerization mechanism catalyzed by a network of buried waters. Our findings highlight a specific role of water molecules in both CRALBP-assisted specificity toward 9-cis-retinal and its thermal isomerase activity yielding 9,13-dicis-retinal. Kinetic data from two point mutants of CRALBP support an essential role of Glu202 as the initial proton donor in this isomerization reaction.
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Jan 2014
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