Abstract

Pixelated Ionization Chamber (PIC) for PIF

Dr. Tigran Armand Rostomyan<sup>1

1</sup>Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, CH-5232, Switzerland

 

Abstract

The Proton Irradiation Facility (PIF) at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) provides a realistic space environment using protons with energies of up to 230 MeV from the COmpact MEdical Therapy (COMET) cyclotron. Numerous experiments utilize a broad range of energies and beam fields for testing and qualification of electronics and circuits as well as for calibration of particle detectors and radiation monitors. A Pixelated Ionization Chamber (PIC) for fast beam monitoring was designed and constructed for PIF. Its sensitive area covers the full beam aperture allowing for accurate, real-time settings of beam profiles for diameters of up to Ø = 10 cm. The detectors chamber entrance window is made of thin aluminized Mylar as a cathode. The anode plate consists of 157 golden pixels. Readout electronics converts ionization currents from all channels using programmable capacitive inputs capable to cover a very wide range of beam flux values. Further signal processing, digitalization and I/O functions are performed with a FPGA controller. The visualization software allows for fast and reliable adjustments of the beam profiles to any desired shape. First results from the commissioning of the PIC detector will be presented in the talk.

 

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the RADHARD 2024 organizing committee for the opportunity to present this work.