PAiRED-X Spectrometer

The PAiRED-X project (Portable Analyzer combining fluoREscence and Diffraction of X-rays) is a collaborative effort funded by the EU and EIT Raw Materials. Its goal is to create a portable instrument for use at mining sites, aimed at enhancing the analysis of excavated samples in terms of selectivity and measurement time. By improving these aspects, the project aims to increase the efficiency of mining activities.

In my role within the project, I was responsible for the integration and packaging of sensors, as well as conducting accompanying tests and evaluations of the sensors’ performance. A custom packaging solution was developed specifically for these multichannel sensors. The vacuum-sealed package not only houses the silicon detector but also includes a thermo-electronic cooler, a set of preamplifiers, and power supply filters.

During the prototyping and evaluation stage, a set of front-end electronics (FEE) was designed and produced for the sensors. This allowed for thorough evaluation and testing before the final instrument design was completed by the electronics team. The FEE consists of several key components, including ultra-low noise low voltage power supplies, a high voltage biasing source at 200V, a set of buffers and analog active filters for each channel, and a common reset logic for the preamplifiers.

Subsequently, a fully integrated solution for multichannel spectroscopy was developed, incorporating a microcontroller-based digital pulse processor. This integrated solution served as a proof-of-concept, demonstrating the feasibility of a scalable and cost-effective electronics system for X-ray spectroscopy.

The design incorporates a main microcontroller that controls the operation of 16 auxiliary microcontrollers (MCUs) and manages the data flow between the MCUs and the PC. Power is supplied exclusively from a 5V USB-C port. Significant attention was dedicated to optimizing power consumption, as the large number of analog and digital components necessitates a substantial current to operate. Multiple DC-DC stages were implemented, along with power mode optimization for the microcontrollers.

For further details on microcontroller based digital pulse processing, check this project.