Radiation detector comprising a circuit for injecting a calibrated quantity of counter-charges

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9234969-B2
Application number	US-201214129232-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2012
Priority date	Jun 30, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

An electronic read circuit for a radiation detector comprises: a comparator receiving a threshold potential and the potential from an integration node, said node being able to store electrical charges that are generated by a photosensitive element; a counter connected to the output of the comparator; and a counter-charge injection circuit comprising: a capacitor that stores counter-charges, a transfer transistor that can be turned on in order to transfer counter-charges from a terminal of the capacitor to the integration node whenever the comparator toggles, the transfer of the counter-charges bringing about a variation of potential at said terminal of the capacitor, and a regulation circuit for controlling the transfer transistor, said circuit comprising means for turning on the transfer transistor when the potential of the terminal of the capacitor is between two predetermined potentials that are independent of the transfer transistor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic circuit for a radiation detector, the electronic circuit comprising:
a comparator, a first input of the comparator receives a predetermined threshold potential and a second input of the comparator is connected to an integration node that stores electrical charges generated by a photosensitive element upon reception of a photon radiation, wherein the electrical charges bring about a variation in a detection potential on the integration node,
a counter connected to an output of the comparator to count transgressions of the predetermined threshold potential by the detection potential, and
a counter-charge injection circuit allowing the electrical charges to be counterbalanced, the counter-charge injection circuit comprising:
a capacitor storing electrical counter-charges,
a transfer transistor that can be turned on to transfer counter-charges from a terminal of the capacitor to the integration node whenever the comparator toggles, wherein the terminal of the capacitor forms a node of the counter-charge injection circuit, wherein the transfer of the counter-charges bring about a variation in a potential at the node of the counter-charge injection circuit, and
a regulation circuit for controlling the transfer transistor, wherein the regulation circuit comprises means for turning on the transfer transistor when the potential at the node of the counter-charge injection circuit is between two predetermined potentials that are independent of the transfer transistor.

2. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the regulation circuit further comprises means for generating a reference potential at a point at which a variation is representative of the variation in the potential at the node of the counter-charge injection circuit, wherein the means for controlling the transfer transistor turns on the transfer transistor when the reference potential is between a first and second predetermined potentials that are independent of the transfer transistor.

3. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the regulation circuit further comprises means for forcing the reference potential to the first predetermined potential,
wherein the regulation circuit for controlling the transfer transistor has a second comparator, a first input of the second comparator receives the reference potential, a second input of the second comparator receives the second predetermined potential, and an output of the second comparator delivers a control signal based on a result of a comparison between the reference potential and the second predetermined potential, wherein the control signal allows the transfer transistor to be turned on.

4. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the means for forcing the reference potential to the first predetermined potential comprise a controlled switch connected between a point that has a potential used as the reference potential and a voltage source that provides the first predetermined potential.

5. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the means for generating a reference potential comprise a linear amplifier, an input of the linear amplifier is connected to the capacitor, and a second capacitor connected between an output of the linear amplifier and a point that has a potential used as the reference potential.

6. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the regulation circuit further comprises a set of capacitors, a controlled switch for each capacitor of the set of capacitors, and control means for the controlled switches, wherein each capacitor of the set of capacitors is connected between a fixed voltage source and an associated controlled switch, each controlled switch is further connected to a point that has a potential used as the reference potential.

7. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the counter-charge injection circuit further comprises a precharge transistor that can be turned on to transfer counter-charges to the capacitor and outside the capacitor, wherein transfer of the counter-charges brings about a variation in voltage at terminals of the capacitor, and wherein the regulation circuit further comprises
means for turning on the precharge transistor to take the reference potential to the first predetermined potential.

8. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the regulation circuit for controlling the transistors further comprises a second comparator and a logic unit, wherein the second comparator receives the reference potential on a first input and a comparison potential on a second input, wherein the comparison potential takes either a value of the first predetermined potential or a value of the second predetermined potential, wherein the logic unit receives an output of the second comparator at an input and delivers a comparison potential, a first control signal controls the transfer transistor and a second control signal controls the precharge transistor.

9. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the means for generating a reference potential comprise a linear amplifier, wherein an input of the linear amplifier is connected to the capacitor, and wherein an output of the linear amplifier delivers the reference potential.

10. The electronic circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the counter-charge injection circuit further comprises a precharge transistor of field-effect-transistor type, a gate of the precharge transistor is biased to a fixed potential, the precharge transistor allows counter-charges to be transferred to the capacitor and outside the capacitor, and wherein transfer of the counter-charges brings about a variation in voltage at terminals of the capacitor.

11. A radiation detector having a photosensitive element that generates electrical charges on the integration node upon reception of a photon radiation, and the electrical circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second input of the comparator is connected to the integration node.

Assignees

• Arques Marc
• Commissariat Energie Atomique
• Trixell Z I

Inventors

• Arques Marc

Classifications

• H10F39/8037

  the integrated elements comprising a transistor · CPC title

• H10F39/12

  Image sensors · CPC title

• H01L27/14612

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01T1/247

  Detector read-out circuitry (for processing gain or off-set correction H04N) · CPC title

• G01T1/24 Primary

  with semiconductor detectors · CPC title