Speaker
Description
An innovative single-photon detector based on a vacuum tube containing a photocathode, a microchannel plate, and a Timepix4 CMOS ASIC as its read-out anode, is presented. This detector is designed to detect up to 1 billion photons per second over a 7 cm$^2$ active area, achieving simultaneously excellent position and timing resolution of 5-10 $\mu$m and less than $50$ ps. With around $230$ thousand pixels equipped with both analog and digital front-end electronics, the Timepix4 ASIC employs a data-driven architecture, enabling data transmission with a bandwidth reaching up to 160 Gb/s.
The Timepix4 configuration and readout are managed by FPGA-based external electronics.
Timepix4 measurements, conducted using an assembly bonded to a 100 $\mu$m thick n-on-p Si sensor illuminated by an infrared pulsed picosecond laser, demonstrated a timing resolution per single pixel hit of 110 ps, accounting for the silicon's contribution. The resolution further improves below 50 ps when pixel clusters are considered.
A preliminary characterization of the first prototypes will be presented.
