11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
[PCG18-P04] Development and Integration of the High-Speed Current Detection Circuits in Particle Sensors
Keywords:ASIC, wave-particle interaction, preamplifier for TOF measurements
Since space plasmas show a collision less feature, wave-particle interaction is the main acceleration mechanism for plasma particles. Observation of both charged particles and waves are prerequisite for understanding energy and momentum transfer mechanisms in space plasmas. Another significant feature of space plasmas is its spatial non-uniformity. The terrestrial magnetosphere is a good example, because it consists of distinct regions with different plasma parameters. Multiple-point observations in space are crucial for interpreting phenomena of space plasma physics. Recent trend of spacecraft fleet missions in the terrestrial magnetosphere such as Cluster II [Escoubet et al., 2001], THEMIS [Angelopoulos, 2008] and MMS missions [Burch et al., 2015] is based on the common view in the importance of understanding spatial non-uniformity. However, the number of satellites in these past missions is the bare minimum. To achieve good spatial resolutions, more satellites observing at different points are necessary. Due to the size of spacecrafts, it is difficult to realize simultaneous multi-point observations of several hundred satellites. The recent progress of micro-/nano-satellites shows possible use of small-class satellites for multi-point observations.
Small satellites need to drastically reduce resources of onboard instruments. As for plasma wave instruments taking on observations of waves, the miniaturization has been made by implementing necessary analogue components on one chip called ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) [Zushi et al., 2019]. The size of the developed chip is 5 mm x 5 mm. It enables us to manufacture a quite small plasma wave instrument that meets the resource requirement of small satellites.
In particle observations, a time-of-flight (TOF) technique is commonly used for species discrimination of incoming particles. Typical TOF measurements timing difference which essentially contains information of elapsed time where the incoming particle moves from a specific location inside a sensor to another. TOF provides information of particle velocity. Required resolution of the elapsed time measurement can be 1 ns or less. Here we propose a miniaturized analog amplifier based on ASIC technology for TOF-based particle sensors. The proposed amplifier converts weak electron current pulses emitted from microchannel plates (MCPs) into digital signals. We develop an amplifier with a size of 0.5 mm x 0.2 mm (implemented on a 5 mm x 5 mm chip) that can handle more than 1 million signals per second. In this poster, we introduce the small analog amplifier dedicated to particle sensor using ASIC technology. In addition, we demonstrate the performance of the amplifier based on the experimental results of the developed prototype chip.
Small satellites need to drastically reduce resources of onboard instruments. As for plasma wave instruments taking on observations of waves, the miniaturization has been made by implementing necessary analogue components on one chip called ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) [Zushi et al., 2019]. The size of the developed chip is 5 mm x 5 mm. It enables us to manufacture a quite small plasma wave instrument that meets the resource requirement of small satellites.
In particle observations, a time-of-flight (TOF) technique is commonly used for species discrimination of incoming particles. Typical TOF measurements timing difference which essentially contains information of elapsed time where the incoming particle moves from a specific location inside a sensor to another. TOF provides information of particle velocity. Required resolution of the elapsed time measurement can be 1 ns or less. Here we propose a miniaturized analog amplifier based on ASIC technology for TOF-based particle sensors. The proposed amplifier converts weak electron current pulses emitted from microchannel plates (MCPs) into digital signals. We develop an amplifier with a size of 0.5 mm x 0.2 mm (implemented on a 5 mm x 5 mm chip) that can handle more than 1 million signals per second. In this poster, we introduce the small analog amplifier dedicated to particle sensor using ASIC technology. In addition, we demonstrate the performance of the amplifier based on the experimental results of the developed prototype chip.