Medipix3
Learn about the Medipix3 Collaboration
The Medipix3 Collaboration was formed in 2005 to develop the Medipix3 chip in 130nm CMOS. Thanks to the success of the Collaboration and its organic growth it also developed the Timepix3 chip. Both chips go much further than Medipix2 permitting colour imaging at different rates. Medipix3 provides frame based readout with a continuous read/write feature. Timepix3 uses a data driven architecture to send hot information off chip. The new features of both chips have triggered a range of new application areas for the technology.
These chips are available for licensing.
The Medipix3 Chip
Description: Medipix3 is a CMOS pixel detector readout chip designed to be connected to a segmented semiconductor sensor. Like its predecessor, Medipix2, it acts as a camera taking images based on the number of particles which hit the pixels when the electronic shutter is open. However, Medipix3 goes much further than Medipix2 permitting colour imaging and dead time free operation. A novel charge summing and allocation scheme is implemented at the pixel level permitting proper binning of the energy of incoming photons overcoming the effects of fluorescence and charge diffusion. As there are 2 counters in each 55μm pixel the chip can be programmed such that one counter is being read out while the other is counting. It is also possible to connect the chip to a sensor matrix with a pitch of 110μm. In this way, up to 8 counters are available per pixel.
Features:
- Pixel size 55x55μm or 110μm x 110μm
- 256 x 256 or 128 x 128 pixels
- Charge summing and allocation scheme – mitigating charge sharing
- 2 thresholds per 55mm pixel each with 5 bits of local adjustment
- High gain mode (HG, lower linearity, lower noise) or low gain mode (LG)
- Configurable counter depths: 2 x 1-bit, 2 x 4-bit, 2 x 12-bit, 1 x 24-bit
- Continuous or sequential data acquisition and readout
- 3-side buttable (with a single 0.8mm dead edge)
- TSV ready
Applications:
- Adaptive optics and other visible or near visible light applications
- Astrophysics
- Background radiation monitoring
- Digital Autoradiography
- Dosimetry
- Education
- Electron microscopy
- Life Sciences
- Neutron imaging
- Various X-ray and gamma-ray imaging applications
- X-ray polarimetry measurements
| General | |
|---|---|
| CMOS technology | 0.13 μm |
| Pixel size | 55μm x 55μm |
| Pixel matrix | 256 x 256 |
| Design | CERN |
| Analog front end (pixel cell) | |
|---|---|
| Signal polarity | Positive and negative |
| Leakage current | -10nA to +20nA |
| Time to peak | 120ns |
| Noise |
80 e- (SPM) 175 e- (CSM) |
| Threshold variation (after tuning) | 35 e- rms |
| Minimum operating treshold | 700 e- |
| Digital part (pixel cell + periphery) | |
|---|---|
| Configurable counter depths |
2 x 1-bit |
| 25 DACs (10 9-bit and 15 8-bit) to set voltages in the chip | |
| LVDS drivers and receivers (configuration of the chip in serial mode) | |
| Parallel data port configurable to 1, 2, 4 or 8 LVDS lines | |
| Readout time 8 parallel LVDS lines (200 MHz clock, 12 bit counters) | 491μs |
| Continuous Read/Write | YES |
| Hit rate 28 - 826 Mcounts/mm2/s depending on configuration | |
| Total analog power consumption (nominal conditions) | 440mW |
| Total digital power consumption (@100MHz) | 450mW |
For questions related to the licensing.
Key Facts
Collaboration Partners: View page
Intellectual Property Status:
These chips are available for licensing.
Relevant Documents:
Projects using Medipix3:
The Timepix3 Chip
Description: Timepix3 is a general-purpose integrated circuit suitable for readout of both semiconductor detectors and gas-filled detectors. Compared to Timepix1 the circuit has more functionality, better time resolution and more advanced architecture for continuous sparse data readout with zero-suppression. Timepix3 can be used in a wide range of applications varying from X-rays imaging to particle track reconstruction. Depending on the application requirements user can choose one out of three data acquisition modes available in the Timepix3. In the data driven mode both arrival time information and charge deposit information are sent off chip for each hit together with the coordinates of the active pixel. The chosen architecture allows for continuous and trigger-free readout of sparsely distributed data with the rate up to 40Mhits•cm-2 •sec-1. For imaging applications and for calibrations the possibility exists of operating in frame-based (non-continuous) data readout mode.
Features:
- Pixel size 55μm x 55μm
- 256 x 256 pixels
- Timepix3 is suitable for readout of both semiconductor detectors and gas-filled detectors
- Single thresholds per pixel each with 4 bits of local adjustment
- Two main measurement modes: (1) simultaneous 10 bit ToT and 18 bit TOA and (2) 10 bit event counting and 14 bit integral TOT
- TOT monotonic for large positive charges
- Fast TOA for time stamping with a precision of 1.56 ns
- Data driven readout: dead time free, for a maximum hit rate of 40 Mhits/s/cm^2
- Shutdown/wake-up features for power pulsing tests on a full system
- 3-side buttable (with a single 1.2mm dead edge)
- TSV ready
Applications:
- X-rays imaging
- Particle track reconstruction.
- Timepix3 is suitable for readout of both semiconductor detectors and gas-filled detectors.
| General | |
|---|---|
| CMOS technology | 0.13μm |
| Pixel size | 55μm x 55μm |
| Pixel matrix | 256 x 256 |
| Design | CERN, NIKHEF, Bonn University |
| Analog front end (pixel cell) | |
|---|---|
| Signal polarity | Positive and negative |
| Leakage current | -10nA to +20nA |
| TOA jitter and mismatch | Compatible with 1.56ns resolution (gas detector applications) |
| Time to peak | 25ns |
| Noise | 62 e- rms |
| Threshold variation (after tuning) | 30 e- rms |
| Minimum operating treshold | 500 e- |
| Digital part (pixel cell + periphery) | |
|---|---|
| TOA precision | 1.56ns |
| Number of bits per hit | 48 |
| Data sent per hit | x, y TOT (10 bits) TOA (18 bits) |
| Readout uses up to 8 parallel LVDS lines (200 MHZ clock) | |
| Total analog power consumption (nominal conditions) | 440mW |
| Total digital power consumption (@100MHz) | 450mW |
Projects using Timepix3:
Relevant Documents:
Timepix3:
-
“Timepix3: a 65K channel hybrid pixel readout chip with simultaneous ToA/ToT and sparse readout,” T Poikela,J Plosila, T Westerlund, M Campbell, M De Gaspari, X Llopart, V Gromov, R Kluit, M van Beuzekom, F Zappon, V Zivkovic, C Brezina, K Desch, Y Fu and A Kruth; Journal of Instrumentation, Vol.9 May 2014 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-0221/9/05/C05013
Medipix3:
- “Medipix3: A 64 k pixel detector readout chip working in single photon counting mode with improved spectrometric performance,” Ballabriga, R.; Campbell M.; Heijne E.; Llopart, X.; Tlustos, L.; Wong W.; Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., A 633 (2011) S15- S18 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016890021001298
- “The Medipix3RX: a high resolution, zero dead-time pixel detector readout chip allowing spectroscopic imaging” Ballabriga, R., Alozy, J., Blaj, G., Campbell, M., Fiederle, M., Frojdh, E., Heijne, E. H. M., Llopart, X., Pichotka, M., Procz, S., Tlustos, L. & Wong, W.JINST 8 C02016. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-0221/8/02/C02016/meta