Imaging Probe for Charged Particle Detection

This thesis discusses the development of a portable detection probe that uses the APIX2LF chip, which contains arrays of SPADs that were produced using a 150 nm standard CMOS process. A prototype board, that includes a battery, front-end electronics, and a microcontroller acting as the interface between the sensor and the PC was developed and tested using a beta-emitting source. Additionally, custom firmware was designed for the microcontroller and an automatic data acquisition framework was developed for the characterization of the DCR of six APIX2LF chips at different bias voltages and temperatures.

Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) are semiconductor devices that detect individual photons. However, they can also experience dark count rate (DCR), generating avalanche current even when no photons are present, which limits their ability to detect low-level signals. SPADs characterization is important to gain insight into their behavior and improve their performance for various applications. This thesis discusses the development of a portable detection probe that uses the APIX2LF chip, which contains arrays of SPADs that were produced using a 150 nm standard CMOS process. A prototype board, that includes a battery, front-end electronics, and a microcontroller acting as the interface between the sensor and the PC was developed and tested using a beta-emitting source. Additionally, custom firmware was designed for the microcontroller and an automatic data acquisition framework was developed for the characterization of the DCR of six APIX2LF chips at different bias voltages and temperatures.