RU-2861602-C1 - TRAINING STAND FOR TESTING SCINTILLATION DETECTORS BASED ON SILICON PHOTOMULTIPLIERS

RU2861602C1RU 2861602 C1RU2861602 C1RU 2861602C1RU-2861602-C1

Abstract

FIELD: teaching aids. SUBSTANCE: training stand for testing scintillation detectors based on silicon photomultipliers comprises one-dimensional and two-dimensional scintillation detectors with photodetectors based on silicon photomultipliers, a temperature sensor and a control unit with the possibility of connecting to a personal computer, including four independent preamplifiers, an analogue-to-digital converter and a power supply with the possibility of independent adjustment of the supply voltage, wherein several holes are made on the surface of the light-protective shell of the scintillation detector, into which a controlled ultraviolet diode with a wavelength in the range of 200-300 nm is installed, connected to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to generate pulses to the ultraviolet diode with a duration from 1 ns to 10 ms and an amplitude sufficient for optical excitation of the scintillator, and also ensures synchronous operation of the pulse generator and the analogue-to-digital converter. EFFECT: creation of a safe stand, enabling the determination of optical parameters of scintillation detectors, silicon photomultipliers, optical fibres. 1 cl, 3 dwg

Inventors

Trunov Dmitrii Nikolaevich
MARIN VIKTOR NIKOLAEVICH
Aksenov Sergei Nikolaevich
Buchnyi Dmitrii Anatolevich
Litvin Vasilii Sergeevich
Sadykov Ravil Askhatovich

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251212

Claims (1)

A training rig for testing scintillation detectors based on silicon photomultipliers, comprising one-dimensional and two-dimensional scintillation detectors with photodetectors based on silicon photomultipliers, a temperature sensor and a control unit with the ability to connect to a personal computer, including four independent preamplifiers, an analog-to-digital converter and a power supply with the ability to independently regulate the supply voltage, characterized in that several openings are made on the surface of the light-protective shell of the scintillation detector, into which a controlled ultraviolet diode with a wavelength in the range of 200-300 nm is installed, connected to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to generate pulses to the ultraviolet diode with a duration of 1 ns to 10 ms and an amplitude sufficient for optical excitation of the scintillator, and also ensures synchronous operation of the pulse generator and the analog-to-digital converter.

Description

The invention relates to student training tools and to the calibration of scintillation detectors and silicon photomultipliers. It is designed to measure the optical parameters of scintillators, light guides, and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The technical result consists of creating a safe, universal setup that does not require the use of radioisotope sources and enables the measurement of glow duration, afterglow, spatial resolution, and photon attenuation in a light guide. Scintillation detectors based on various scintillators and silicon photomultipliers (SPMs) are currently undergoing rapid development, replacing photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). SiPMs offer parameters similar to those of PMTs, but are more compact and require less power. The typical supply voltage for SiPMs is approximately 30-50 V. This has led to their widespread use in X-ray and neutron radiation research. This necessitates training specialists in the development and testing of such detectors. A system for measuring the light yield of scintillation strips is known [Patent RU2794236C1, 2022]. It comprises a two-channel signal analysis unit, an electronic computer, and a light-isolated box for housing the scintillation strip under test. Inside, the box is a device for positioning the particle source and a photodetector for optical signals from the scintillation strip. The main disadvantages include the need for a light-isolated box and a photomultiplier tube to detect photons. A complex scintillation excitation circuit based on a fixed-energy electron source makes it impossible to study transparent light guides and scintillators that are not sensitive to beta particles. A setup for studying scintillation detectors is known [Setup for studying scintillation detectors / I. S. Alexandrov, A. V. Lukyashin, A. V. Khromov, A. V. Shakirov // Instruments and experimental technique. - 2024. - No. 6. - Pp. 146-151. - DOI 10.31857/S0032816224060183] consisting of a scintillation assembly and a spectrometer. The scintillation assembly includes a detector consisting of a silicon photomultiplier and a scintillator, and sources of ionizing radiation (Ba-133 and Am-241, gamma sources). The setup includes a set of three scintillation detectors. The purpose of the setup is to carry out laboratory work to study the characteristics of scintillators. The main drawbacks of the setup are the lack of an adjustable power supply and a temperature sensor, making it impossible to study the parameters of silicon photomultipliers. Furthermore, the use of ionizing radiation sources reduces safety and limits research to scintillators sensitive to gamma radiation. A setup for testing silicon photomultipliers and scintillation crystals is known [Konotop, A. D. Setup for testing silicon photomultipliers and scintillation crystals / A. D. Konotop, N. S. Boyko // Bulletin of the National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI". - 2023. - Vol. 12, No. 3. - Pp. 143-152. - DOI 10.26583/vestnik.2023.268.], consisting of a pulse analyzer, discriminator, amplifier, detector, power supply, gamma source and light source. The detector consists of a silicon photomultiplier, scintillator and temperature sensor. The temperature sensor provides control of the detector temperature and allows studying the temperature dependence. The main drawbacks of this setup are the lack of an adjustable power supply, which precludes full study of the parameters of silicon photomultipliers, and the use of ionizing radiation sources, which reduces safety and limits research to gamma-sensitive scintillators. The setup does include an LED, but it is used exclusively to obtain a single-electron spectrum. The closest analogue is a scintillation detector test rig [Scintillation Detector Test Rig, RU198513U1, 2019]. The rig includes a photomultiplier tube (PMT) with an amplification unit, a scintillation crystal connected to the PMT, a source of calibrated light flashes to simulate scintillation radiation, optically coupled to the PMT via a fiber optic cable, a reference gamma-ray source, and a set of replaceable lead shields located on the same optical axis as the PMT. Furthermore, the rig contains a temperature sensor attached to the scintillation crystal and a control computer connected to the PMT and the source of calibrated light flashes. The rig is designed to measure the technical parameters of both individual components of the scintillation detector (e.g., the PMT) and the detector assembly. The photomultiplier tube converts light flashes from a scintillator crystal or a calibrated light source into an electrical signal and amplifies it. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC), together with the signal processing system, converts the output signal into digital form. The PMT power supply supplies and regulates high voltage to the dynodes. An LED source of calibrated light flashes generates pulses of a specified intensity and frequency; the wavelength of the emitted light corresponds to the wavelength of