From June 16 to 20, 2025, the HPXM2025 conference took place at the INFN National Laboratories in Frascati. Nuclear Instruments presented its work on direct pre-amplifier sampling ADC for high-count rate and high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy
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Date
Jun 20, 2025
HPXM2025 Conference at Frascati
From June 16 to 20, 2025, the HPXM2025 conference was held at the INFN National Laboratories in Frascati. Building on the success of previous editions, HPXM2025 aimed to strengthen existing collaborations and foster new ones, while providing a platform for scientists and engineers to share progress in radiation-detection based activities, experiments, and applications.
The conference brought together communities spanning astrophysics, nuclear and atomic physics, material science, detector development, electronics, optics, medical imaging, cultural heritage, food safety, fraud detection, and more—highlighting the wide-ranging impact of radiation detection technologies.
Our Contribution: Direct Pre-Amplifier Sampling ADC
Nuclear Instruments, in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano and CAEN, presented the work:
Direct Pre-Amplifier Sampling ADC for High-Count Rate and High-Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy
The study introduced a new digital signal processing technique for X-ray detectors, such as silicon drift detectors, capable of handling high rates while maintaining excellent resolution.
Key innovations include:
- Use of a 20-bit SAR ADC to directly sample signals from the preamplifier across a dynamic range of 1 to 1 million, overcoming the limitations of large voltage ramps.
- A system design with four interleaved ADCs reaching 160 Msps, controlled by a Zynq SoC with custom firmware for phase and gain correction, trapezoidal filtering, and PC interface logic.
- Preliminary measurements with the Ardesia detector at Politecnico di Milano, achieving resolutions surpassing traditional analog reshaping methods—128 eV at 2 μs peaking time and 140 eV at 1 Mcps in fast mode.
These results demonstrate the potential of direct digital sampling to enhance resolution and efficiency in X-ray detection, particularly in high-rate environments such as synchrotron facilities.
Exhibition & Sponsorship
Nuclear Instruments was proud to be a sponsor (with CAEN) of HPXM2025 and hosted a dedicated exhibition booth during the conference. At the stand, we showcased our 20-bit digitizer together with several multi-channel acquisition solutions. The booth provided a valuable opportunity to engage with leading XRF experts working at major synchrotron facilities worldwide. These discussions allowed us to share specifications and gather requirements for the next generation of digitizers designed for ultra-high count-rate, multi-channel applications such as large SDD arrays.
Nuclear Instruments booth at HPXM2025
Nuclear Instruments booth at HPXM2025
