System for detecting and real time processing x-ray pulses from microcalorimeter detectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10345249-B1
Application number	US-201715843319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2017
Priority date	Dec 15, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

An x-ray spectrometer system includes: an excitation source that produces excitation particles and irradiates a sample with the excitation particles such that the sample produces x-rays; thermal detectors that: detect the x-rays from the sample; and produce digital x-ray data in response to detecting the x-rays from the sample, the x-ray data including x-ray pulses; and an analyzer that includes a multichannel receiver that receives, in parallel, the digital x-ray data from the thermal detectors and that: rejects pulse pileup in the digital x-ray data and produces pass data from the digital x-ray data; subjects the pass data to an optimal filter to produce filter data; determines a pulse height of x-ray pulses in the filter data to produce pulse data; combines the pulse data to produce combined data; and calibrates the combined data to produce calibrated data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for performing real time analysis of x-ray pulses from a plurality of thermal detectors, the process comprising:
introducing a sample to an x-ray spectrometer comprising the thermal detectors, the thermal detectors comprising a micro-calorimeter absorber and a transition edge sensor;
irradiating the sample with excitation particles;
producing x-rays by the sample in response to irradiation with the excitation particles;
detecting the x-rays by the thermal detectors;
producing digital x-ray data by the thermal detectors in response to detecting the x-rays from the sample;
receiving, in parallel by a multichannel receiver, the digital x-ray data from the thermal detectors, the x-ray data comprising a plurality of x-ray pulses;
rejecting pulse pileup in the digital x-ray data to produce pass data from the digital x-ray data;
subjecting the pass data to a Wiener filter to produce filter data;
determining a pulse height of x-ray pulses in the filter data to produce pulse data;
combining the pulse data to produce combined data; and
calibrating the combined data to produce calibrated data to perform analysis, in real time, of the x-ray pulses from the thermal detectors.

2. A process for performing real time analysis of x-ray pulses from a plurality of thermal detectors, the process comprising:
receiving digital x-ray data from the thermal detectors comprising a micro-calorimeter absorber and a transition edge sensor, the x-ray data comprising a plurality of x-ray pulses;
rejecting pulse pileup in the digital x-ray data to produce pass data from the digital x-ray data;
subjecting the pass data to a Wiener filter to produce filter data;
determining a pulse height of x-ray pulses in the filter data to produce pulse data;
combining the pulse data to produce combined data; and
calibrating the combined data to produce calibrated data to perform analysis, in real time, of the x-ray pulses from the thermal detectors.

3. An x-ray spectrometer system comprising:
an excitation source that produces excitation particles and irradiates a sample with the excitation particles such that the sample produces x-rays in response to irradiation with the excitation particles;
a plurality of thermal detectors, the thermal detectors comprising a micro-calorimeter absorber and a transition edge sensor, and that:
detects the x-rays from the sample; and
produces digital x-ray data in response to detecting the x-rays from the sample, the x-ray data comprising a plurality of x-ray pulses; and

an analyzer that comprises a multichannel receiver that receives, in parallel, the digital x-ray data from the thermal detectors and that:
rejects pulse pileup in the digital x-ray data and produces pass data from the digital x-ray data;
subjects the pass data to a Wiener filter to produce filter data;
determines a pulse height of x-ray pulses in the filter data to produce pulse data;
combines the pulse data to produce combined data; and
calibrates the combined data to produce calibrated data in which analysis is performed, in real time, on the x-ray pulses from the thermal detectors.

Assignees

• Us Commerce

Inventors

• Jach Terrence J
• Thurgate Stephen M

Classifications

• H01J2237/2445

  Photon detectors for X-rays, light, e.g. photomultipliers · CPC title

• H01J37/244

  Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor · CPC title

• G01N23/20033 Primary

  provided with temperature control or heating means · CPC title

• H01J2237/24495

  Signal processing, e.g. mixing of two or more signals · CPC title

• G01N23/083

  the radiation being X-rays · CPC title