Detector Systems

STFC Technology provides electronic and detector solution for a large and diverse customer base. The common goal of each customer is to use a sensor to gather information, but that's where the similarities end. Detectors use a wide array of different underlying technology, from the Silicon detectors, which are a speciality of this department, to gas microstrip detectors, and all points in between.

The operating conditions of the system might mean that the electronics are required to be radiation hard, or conditions may be such that the electronics cannot be near the sensor which can impose further challenges, especially at high data rates.

Even the physical size of the detectors depends on the applications, a recent space based project calls for an active pixel sensor with a 3 micron pixel size, contrast this with an ISIS resistive wire detector array, where each element is 3 metres long.

By facing and meeting these diverse challenges, we have become a recognised centre of excellence in microelectronics and detector design.