Academic Edi o : E win Peine
Recei ed: 15 No embe 2024
Re ised: 29 Janua y 2025
Accep ed: 4 Feb ua y 2025
Published: 6 Feb ua y 2025
Ci a ion: Ramos, M.R.; López, J.G.;
Seime z, M.; Mo ales, J.J.; Muñoz, C.T.;
Ramos, M.d.C.J. Ul a-Thin Plas ic
Scin illa o -Based P o on De ec o o
Timing Applica ions. Senso s 2025,25,
971. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/
s25030971
Copy igh : © 2025 by he au ho s.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land.
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A ibu ion (CC BY) license
(h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/
licenses/by/4.0/).
A icle
Ul a-Thin Plas ic Scin illa o -Based P o on De ec o o
Timing Applica ions
Mau icio Rod íguez Ramos 1,* , Ja ie Ga cía López 1,2 , Michael Seime z 3, Jessica Juan Mo ales 3,
Ca men To es Muñoz 1and Ma ía del Ca men Jiménez Ramos 1,4
1Cen o Nacional de Acele ado es (U. Se illa, CSIC, J. de Andalucia), 41092 Se ille, Spain; [email p o ec ed] (J.G.L.);
[email p o ec ed] (C.T.M.); [email p o ec ed] (M.d.C.J.R.)
2Depa amen o de Física A ómica, Molecula y Nuclea , Uni e sidad de Se illa, 41012 Se ille, Spain
3Ins i u o de Ins umen ación pa a Imagen Molecula (i3M), CSIC-Uni e si a Poli ècnica de València,
46022 Valencia, Spain; [email p o ec ed].es (M.S.); [email p o ec ed].es (J.J.M.)
4Depa amen o de Física Aplicada II, Uni e sidad de Se illa, 41012 Se ille, Spain
*Co espondence: m [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : The de elopmen o ad anced de ec ion sys ems o cha ged pa icles in lase -
based accele a o s and he need o p ecise ime o ligh measu emen s ha e led o he
c ea ion o de ec o s using ul a- hin plas ic scin illa o s, indica ing hei use as ansmis-
sion de ec o s wi h low ene gy loss and minimal dispe sion o p o ons a ound a ew
MeV. This s udy in oduces a new de ec ion sys em designed by he Ins i u e o Ins u-
men a ion in Molecula Imaging o ime o ligh and iming applica ions a he Na ional
Accele a o Cen e in Se ille. The sys em includes an ul a- hin EJ-214 plas ic scin illa o
coupled wi h a pho omul iplie ube and shielded by aluminized myla shee s. The p o o-
ype ins alla ion as an ex e nal igge sys em a he ion beam nuclea mic op obe o he
a o emen ioned acili y, along wi h i s empo al pe o mance and ion ansmission, was
ho oughly cha ac e ized. Addi ionally, he scin illa o hickness and uni o mi y we e ana-
lyzed using Ru he o d backsca e ing spec ome y. Resul s showed ha he expe imen al
hickness o he EJ-214 shee di e s by app oxima ely 46% om he supplie speci ica ions.
The de ec o esponse o MeV p o ons demons a es a s ong dependence on he impac
posi ion bu emains mos ly linea wi h he applied wo king bias. Finally, single ion de-
ec ion was success ully achie ed, demons a ing he applicabili y o his new sys em as a
diagnos ic ool.
Keywo ds: hin plas ic scin illa o ; ime-o - ligh ; iming applica ions
1. In oduc ion
Radia ion de ec o s play a c ucial ole in a wide ange o scien i ic and echnological
domains, including pa icle physics, nuclea secu i y, and medical diagnos ics [
1
,
2
]. Re-
cen ad ancemen s in pa icle accele a o s ha e led o he de elopmen o sophis ica ed
de ec ion sys ems capable o measu ing ex emely b ie ime in e als wi h high empo al
esolu ion [
3
]. These measu emen s a e pa icula ly c ucial o expe imen s in ol ing he
de e mina ion o mean li e imes o exci ed s a es, ad anced de ec ion sys ems o cha ged
pa icles in lase -based accele a o s wi h exceedingly high coun ing a es [
4
], and ime-o -
ligh s udies (ToF) o p ecise iming measu emen s. To mee hese equi emen s, a ange
o nuclea adia ion de ec o s a e employed, including o ganic and ino ganic scin illa ion
coun e s [
5
], Che enko de ec o s [
6
], and semiconduc o de ec o s [
7
]. Among hese
echnologies, plas ic scin illa o s ha e eme ged as essen ial senso s due o hei unique
Senso s 2025,25, 971 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/s25030971
Senso s 2025,25, 971 2 o 23
cha ac e is ics and iming p ope ies, including high scin illa ion e iciency [
8
], as empo-
al esponse [
9
], e sa ili y in ab ica ion, and low cos wi h espec o con en ional c ys al
scin illa o s, which acili a e hei applica ion in nume ous expe imen al con ex s [10].
Plas ic scin illa o s a e ypically composed o a polyme ma ix, o en poly inyl oluene
(PVT), doped wi h o ganic compounds. These scin illa o s emi ligh due o he ionolumi-
nescence p ocess, a phenomenon in which ionizing adia ion exci es he doped o ganic
compounds, leading o he emission o op ical pho ons, p edominan ly in he isible spec-
um [
11
]. This ligh emission, known as scin illa ion, is de ec ed by pho osensi i e de ices
such as pho omul iplie ubes (PMTs) o pho odiodes, which enable he quan i ica ion and
analysis o he inciden adia ion [
12
]. The e sa ili y o plas ic scin illa o s ex ends o
nume ous applica ions: In high-ene gy physics [
13
], hey a e used as de ec o s o lase -
accele a ed p o ons [
14
] and calo ime y [
15
], p o iding c i ical da a on pa icle in e ac ions
and ene gy deposi ion. In medical physics, plas ic scin illa o s a e employed in posi on
emission omog aphy (PET) [
16
] and adia ion he apy dosime y [
17
], whe e p ecise and
eal- ime measu emen o adia ion doses is essen ial. Addi ionally, in secu i y and cosmo-
genic adia ion moni o ing, hese scin illa o s a e u ilized o de ec ing and quan i ying
adioac i e ma e ials, con ibu ing o sa e y and egula o y compliance [
18
]. Ve y hin
(
<60 µm
) plas ic scin illa o s coupled o he su ace o posi ion-sensi i e pho omul iplie
ubes ha e been u ilized o he spa ially esol ed de ec ion o
α
and
β
pa icles [
19
,
20
].
These hin- ilm de ec o s (TFDs) p o ide high scin illa ion ligh ou pu wi h minimal ene gy
loss o ansien pa icles, enabling ToF measu emen s o ligh ions in low-ene gy nuclea
physics expe imen s [
21
,
22
]. A p ominen example o hese ma e ials is he comme cial
ul a- hin plas ic scin illa o EJ-214. This wo k ocuses on he de elopmen and cha ac-
e iza ion o a new de ec o based on his no el plas ic scin illa o designed o pa icle
de ec ion and o be used as an ex e nal igge wi hin he mic op obe line a he Na ional
Accele a o Cen e (CNA) in Se ille [
23
]. U ilizing his new sys em as an ex e nal igge
will add ess he challenges associa ed wi h elying on au o- igge modes du ing he cha -
ac e iza ion o he empo al esponse o nuclea de ec o s, such as hose employed by he
Time-Resol ed Ion Beam Induced Cha ge (TRIBIC) echnique [
24
]. Mo eo e , he enhanced
iming capabili ies o his new sys em will suppo he in es iga ion o empo al p ocesses
in ou mic obeam chambe , including he s udy o anspo p ope ies in semiconduc o
de ec o s. This pape is o ganized as ollows: The in oduc ion ou lines he ad an ages o
he new hin plas ic scin illa o de ec o as a adia ion de ec o and p o ides an o e iew
o he cu en s a e o he a and applica ions o his ype o sys em. In Sec ion 2, we
desc ibe he new de ec ion sys em, ocusing on i s design, cons uc ion, and ins alla ion in
he CNA’s nuclea mic op obe. Sec ion 3discusses he hickness and uni o mi ies o he
de ec o , based on he analyses pe o med using he Ru he o d Backsca e ing Spec ome-
y (RBS) echnique. Sec ion 4co e s he cha ac e iza ion o he p o o ype pe o mance,
including he e ec s o ion impac loca ion on he de ec o esponse, he esponse as a
unc ion o he applied bias, and he easibili y o single ion de ec ion using pulsed p o on
beams. In he nex sec ion, we examine he ansmission o ions h ough he collima o
sli s, s udying he angula di e gence o he ou going ions om he scin illa o using he
Mon e Ca lo so wa e SRIM 2013 [
25
]. The pape con inues wi h p esen s an o e iew
o he expe imen al se up and he applica ion o he new de ec o o ToF measu emen s.
Finally, he conclusions summa ize he key indings ela ed o he pe o mance o his
de ec ion sys em.
2. Ma e ials and Me hods
The de eloped de ec ion sys em u ilizes a comme cial ul a- hin o ganic scin illa-
o ma e ial, Eljen EJ-214, which is manu ac u ed by Eljen Technology (Swee wa e , TX,
Senso s 2025,25, 971 3 o 23
USA) [
26
]. This ma e ial is speci ically o mula ed o use in ul a- hin ilms designed o
hea y ion s udies and beam moni o s [
27
]. EJ-214 emi s ligh in he blue egion o he
isible spec um, wi h maximum emission cen e ed a 435 nm. One o he main ad an ages
o EJ-214 is i s as decay ime, in he o de o nanoseconds, which allows o apid de ec ion
and excellen empo al esolu ion o as e en s. This makes EJ-214 scin illa o s ideal o
applica ions equi ing high-speed measu emen s, such as igge ing.
Addi ionally, he ligh e iciency and good anspa ency o EJ-214 enhance i s e -
ec i eness in a ious de ec ion scena ios. This imp o emen is a ibu ed o he e y
high concen a ion o wa eleng h shi e dopan s, which enhance he ma ching be ween
emission and abso p ion, he eby shi ing he p ima y scin illa ion ligh . This op imiza-
ion inc eases he ligh emission o pa icle beam iming applica ions while minimizing
beam ene gy deposi ion. Table 1summa izes he main p ope ies o EJ-214 acco ding o
he supplie . Based on hese p ope ies, a iming de ec o concep using his ul a- hin
plas ic scin illa o was de eloped and cons uc ed by he Ins i u e o Ins umen a ion o
Molecula Imaging (I3M). While de ec o s using hicke scin illa o s a e documen ed in
he li e a u e [
28
], he majo inno a ion o his app oach is he ul a- hin scin illa o , wi h a
nominal hickness o 25 µm, as speci ied by he supplie .
Table 1. Cha ac e is ics o he EJ-214.
E iciency (pho ons/1 MeV e−) 9000
Maximum Emission (nm) 435
Decay Time (ns) 2
No. o H A oms pe cm3(×1022)5.18
No. o C A oms pe cm3(1022)4.67
No. o N A oms pe cm3(1019)4.89
No. o O A oms pe cm3(1019)2.59
Densi y (g/cm3)1.02
So ening Poin (◦C) 60
The hickness o his new sys em enables he de ec o o be applied in ansmission
mode, as ions wi h ene gies in he ange o a ew MeV can pass h ough he ac i e olume
o he de ec o wi hou losing a signi ican amoun o ene gy. Fo e icien scin illa ion ligh
collec ion, wo app oaches ha e been his o ically p oposed: ei he by e lec ing i o an
ex e nal hollow mi o o by using an op ically anspa en guide ha co e s a signi ican
po ion o he TFDs’ su ace [
29
,
30
]. This capabili y acili a es ToF and iming measu emen s.
Du ing he cons uc ion, a single po ion o an EJ-214 scin illa o shee (ac i e olume) wi h
dimensions 10
×
45 mm was placed be ween wo polyme hylme hac yla e (PMMA) semi-
cylinde s (manu ac u ed by Kümpel [
31
]) in a sandwich s uc u e, in oduced
≈10 mm
om he edge. The dimensions o he PMMA cylinde s a e 10 mm in diame e and 30 mm in
heigh , and he dimensions o he scin illa o shee a e assumed o be
10 ×45 ×0.025 mm
.
As ionizing adia ion passes h ough he ma e ial, a ligh lash is gene a ed wi h a decay
ime o app oxima ely 2 ns. These pho ons a e di ec ed by he PMMA cylinde s, which
ma ch he scin illa o geome y and ac as ligh guides, anspo ing he pho ons o a
comme cial pho omul iplie ube (model R647 wi h an E849-35 socke by Hamama su
(Shizuoka, Japan) [
32
]) wi h a 10 mm diame e pho oca hode, maximum quan um e iciency
a 420 nm, and a ise ime o 2.1 ns acco ding o he da ashee . The o he po ion o he
ac i e olume is comple ely co e ed wi h a double laye o aluminized myla on bo h sides,
shielding he assembly om he backg ound ligh . A e comple ing he assembly, he main
componen s a e encased in a plas ic housing manu ac u ed ia 3D p in ing.
The maximum dimensions o he casing, including sc ews, a e 194 mm (leng h)
×
46 mm (wid h)
×
32 mm (heigh ). The ou pu signal is an analog pulse om he PMT
Senso s 2025,25, 971 4 o 23
anode. Two cables eme ge om he PMT socke : one o he high ol age powe supply
and he o he o he anode ol age (ou pu signal). A schema ic o he de ec o layou ,
showing he main componen s, is depic ed in Figu e 1.
1
2
Figu e 1. C oss-sec ion o he basic design o he plas ic de ec o , illus a ing he main componen s
housed wi hin a plas ic casing manu ac u ed using 3D p in ing.
One o he p ima y applica ions o his new ype o de ec ion sys em is o be used
as an ex e nal igge o o ToF measu emen s in acili ies ha wo k wi h ion beams,
such as he ion beam nuclea mic op obe a CNA. Fo his pu pose, he de ec o module
was designed wi h se e al mechanical componen s o ensu e i s e ec i e in eg a ion and
ope a ion wi hin he beamline, as well as i s abili y o in e cep he ion beams. I mus be
secu ely a ached unde acuum condi ions, and he sys em mus acili a e he mo emen
o he de ec o be ween posi ions wi hin and ou side he ion beam ajec o y wi hou
dis up ing his acuum. The cu en assembly a CNA was ins alled be o e he collima o
sli s, a a dis ance o 38 cm, as illus a ed in Figu e 2.
1
2
Figu e 2. Diag am o he auxilia y mechanical sys em showing he main componen s o he assembly
in he nuclea mic op obe beam line.
This assembly includes a ube, labeled T, which is a componen o he andem beamline
in he accele a o . The new assembly has been a ached o he side ou pu o his ube. To
allow he de ec o o mo e be ween posi ions inside and ou side he ion beam, a 100 mm
linea ac ua o is employed. The ac ua o is moun ed a one end o he T-shaped ube,
which also equi es an addi ional educe o secu e a achmen . The o he end o he ube
connec s o he beamline ia an in e media e adap e . The side ou pu o he T-shaped
ube is sealed wi h a lange ha inco po a es wo BNC bulkhead connec o s: one o he
anode eadou and he o he o he PMT pola iza ion. In his se up, he ac ua o ea u es a
cylind ical od ha mo es back and o h.
Senso s 2025,25, 971 5 o 23
An addi ional aluminum coupling secu ely holds he de ec o and suppo s i s weigh .
The main module is a ached o he on ba o he ac ua o . When he ac ua o is ex ended
o i s ull leng h, he de ec o is ully posi ioned in he ion beam pa h, ensu ing p ecise align-
men and e ec i e ope a ion wi hin he pa icle accele a o sys em. All majo componen s
o he p oposed assembly we e supplied and manu ac u ed by JEV Ins umen s [33].
3. Resul s and Discussion
3.1. Thickness Cha ac e iza ion Using RBS
A comp ehensi e unde s anding o he s uc u e and composi ion o he elemen s
p esen in he new sys em based on he plas ic de ec o is essen ial o co ec ly in e p e ing
he ob ained esul s du ing i s ope a ion, bo h in e ms o i s esponse and i s use as a ToF
de ec o . The hickness o he main componen s o he de ec o was de e mined using he
RBS echnique [
34
]. Fo he analyses, he sandwich s uc u e ha o ms he inal de ec o ,
consis ing o aluminized myla /scin illa o /aluminized myla , was assembled. To acili a e
he analysis o he spec a, one o he myla shee s was also measu ed sepa a ely. In his
s udy, RBS measu emen s we e conduc ed using an IBM geome y in he mul ipu pose
chambe o he 3 MV Tandem accele a o o he CNA. The samples we e ins alled in a
ec angula sample holde (150
×
112 mm
2
) wi h holes ( o a oid i s signal in he spec a),
which can be mo ed in he X and Y di ec ions (pe pendicula o he di ec ion o he inciden
ion beam) using s eppe mo o s. The analysis was ca ied ou using p o ons accele a ed o
an ene gy o 3 MeV wi h a beam cu en o 1 nA. The RBS spec a we e measu ed wi h a
solid-s a e de ec o (passi a ed implan ed plana silicon de ec o o PIPS) wi h an ac i e
a ea o 50 mm
2
, posi ioned a 165
◦
. The beam diame e was se o 1 mm, and measu emen s
we e made e e y 5 mm o check he homogenei y o he plas ic scin illa o . The da a
acquisi ion (DAQ) sys em o he RBS measu emen s in he mul ipu pose chambe is
desc ibed in [
35
]. The ene gy calib a ion o he DAQ sys em was pe o med using a sample
consis ing o a hin laye o Au deposi ed on a C subs a e, oge he wi h he spec um o
he aluminized myla a ge . Figu e 3shows he expe imen al RBS spec a alongside he
simula ions ob ained using he SIMNRA code [
36
] o bo h he aluminized myla sample
and he comple e assembly wi h he EJ-214 shee .
The inne igu es show he layou s uc u e and expe imen al hickness o he analyzed
samples. Bo h myla and scin illa o con ain hyd ogen, so i is c ucial o ema k ha in
he RBS spec a he H signal does no appea , al hough i is essen ial o include i in he
simula ion o co ec ly calcula e he s opping powe . The analy ical p ocedu e assumed
he nominal composi ion o hese compounds p o ided by he supplie and adjus ed he
hickness acco dingly. In he case o he aluminized myla , al hough a backg ound signal
is obse ed coming om he ea o he acuum chambe , he s uc u e and hickness o
he myla and he Al coa ing on bo h sides a e clea ly isible. Fo he simula ion o he
sandwich s uc u e, he same myla composi ion and hickness measu ed in Figu e 3(Top)
we e used o bo h he op and bo om laye s, along wi h he heo e ical composi ion o he
EJ-214 scin illa o . The ee pa ame e s we e he hickness and oughness o his ma e ial.
To achie e a good simula ion o he RBS spec um, i was necessa y o include a scin illa o
oughness wi h a hickness dis ibu ion FWHM o 30,000
×
10
15
a /cm
2
, app oxima ely
20% o he hickness o he scin illa o . Al hough, a high ene gy, he Al and O signals om
he op myla laye a e clea ly sepa a ed, he C signal is pa ially o e lapped wi h he C
signal om he scin illa o in his case. The hickness de e mined by RBS (exp essed in
uni s o 10
15
a oms/cm
2
) o he aluminized myla shee and he plas ic de ec o a e lis ed
in Tables 2and 3, espec i ely. The co esponding physical hickness was calcula ed based
on he heo e ical densi ies o he ma e ials: SRIM p o ides he densi y o he aluminized
Senso s 2025,25, 971 6 o 23
myla shield, while he densi y o he scin illa o was supplied by he manu ac u e
(ρ= 1.02 g/cm3) [27].
2
3
Figu e 3. Expe imen al and simula ed RBS spec a ob ained wi h a 3 MeV p o on beam. The op
panel shows da a o a piece o aluminized myla , while he bo om panel p esen s da a o he
sandwich s uc u e con aining he aluminized myla shield o e an EJ-214 scin illa o shee .
Table 2. Aluminized myla : SIMNRA esul s.
S uc u e Aluminum Myla
Composi ion (%) Al H37C45O18
Thickness (1015 a /cm2)490 23,900
Physical hickness 81 nm 2.39 µm
Table 3. Scin illa o : SIMNRA esul s.
S uc u e EJ-214
Composi ion (%) H52.5C47.42O0.05N0.03
Thickness (1015 a /cm2)140,000
Physical hickness 13–14 µm
Senso s 2025,25, 971 7 o 23
Gi en ha he p ima y applica ion o his ype o hin de ec o in ol es ion ans-
mission, ensu ing he homogenei y o he plas ic shee hickness is a c i ical ac o . Any
signi ican a ia ion in hickness could in luence he ene gy loss and angula de ia ion
o he ion beams du ing hei use. To e alua e he hickness homogenei y o he EJ-214
sample, a se ies o RBS measu emen s we e conduc ed wi h a 3 MeV p o on beam a
di e en posi ions wi h 5 mm in e als, co e ing a o al leng h o 85 mm o he sample.
The a ge was mo ed using s eppe mo o s, which allowed o p ecise ho izon al and
e ical displacemen wi h an accu acy o 10
µ
m. Figu e 4illus a es he RBS spec a o wo
posi ions (0 mm and 70 mm) along he ho izon al axis, selec ed o ep esen he minimum
and maximum hickness measu ed du ing he i adia ion scan, wi h all o he measu e-
men s alling wi hin his ange. No spa ial dependence on hickness was obse ed ac oss
he measu ed poin s be ween hese wo alues. Based on hese esul s, he expe imen al
hickness a ies be ween 13 and 14
µ
m wi h an unce ain y in he adjus men o a ound
5%, indica ing excellen homogenei y in he ac i e olume o he EJ-214 sample. The com-
posi ion ma ches he nominal alue, bu he scin illa o hickness is 46% below he supplie
a e age (
25 ±7µm
). The expe imen al hickness is c ucial o accu a ely calcula ing he
ion ene gy loss h ough he de ec o when conduc ing simula ions wi h SRIM, which we e
ca ied ou du ing he de elopmen o his s udy. Finally, i is impo an o emphasize
ha he piece analyzed by RBS is no he same as he one ins alled in he de ec o . Fo
he de ec o assembly, a 10
×
45 mm
2
piece was cu om he o iginal scin illa o shee
(dimensions 100
×
100 mm
2
), in close p oximi y o he egion used o RBS analysis (a piece
wi h dimensions 100
×
20 mm
2
). This p ecau ion was aken because he scin illa o shee
was exposed o ion cu en s on he o de o nA, wi h a beam diame e o 1 mm (cu en
densi y o 1.27 ×10−7A/cm2) du ing RBS cha ac e iza ion.
Such cu en densi ies could po en ially deg ade he ligh emission p ope ies o he
scin illa o . To a oid adia ion-induced damage and ensu e op imal pe o mance in he
de ec o , he analyzed piece and he one ins alled in he de ec o we e di e en .
3
4
5
Figu e 4. Expe imen al RBS spec a o he scin illa o shee ob ained a posi ions x = 0 mm (blue) and
x = 70 mm ( ed). These wo posi ions ep esen he minimum and maximum hickness measu ed
o e he scan.
Senso s 2025,25, 971 8 o 23
3.2. Va iabili y o De ec o Response wi h Impac Poin
Due o he de ec o dimensions, i was no easible o pe o m he cha ac e iza ion
as a unc ion o he i adia ion loca ion in he ion beam mic op obe chambe ; o his
eason, he de ec o cha ac e iza ion was conduc ed a he ion implan a ion beam line a
he CNA [
37
]. The de ec o was moun ed on an elec ically isola ed pla o m inside he
acuum chambe be o e being i adia ed. To de e mine he posi ion o he ion beam, a high-
luminosi y scin illa o ma e ial, S Ga
2
S
4
:Eu
2+
(commonly e e ed o as TG-G een [
38
]),
was placed in he same plane and in close p oximi y o he de ec o . A high- esolu ion
Cha ge-Coupled De ice came a localized in one ex e nal po o he acuum chambe
allows o eco d he ligh emi ed by he scin illa o sample and de e mine he ion beam
posi ion. Wi h he aluminized myla shielding, ambien ligh can induce some in e e ence
signal in he PMT; so, o ensu e he accu acy o he de ec o esponse o he ion i adia ion,
all illumina ion sou ces in he icini y o he acuum chambe we e swi ched o , he eby
achie ing comple e da kness. A se o collima o sli s wi h a hombohed al shape was
employed along he ion beam line, e ec i ely educing he ion beam dimensions and
dec easing he cu en in ensi y o e he sample o a oid sa u a ion o he PMT. Fo hese
expe imen s, a pulsed p o on beam was employed. To achie e his, we used he beam
kicke ins alled a he ou pu o he ion sou ces. The kicke consis s o a pai o me al
pla es, o which a high ol age can be applied h ough a as solid-s a e swi ch, model
FSWP 51-02 om Behlke (D eieich, Ge many), in o de o de lec he low-ene gy p o ons.
The bunch leng h and epe i ion a e we e con olled by an inpu pulse gene a o , model
AFG 310000 se ies om Tek onix (Bea e on, OR, USA). The empo al p o iles o he
pulsed ion beam we e eco ded using he ou pu signal om he PMT connec ed o a as
oscilloscope (LeC oy, New Yo k, NY, USA, HDO9404, 4 GHz bandwid h, 40 Gs/s) wi h
50 Ωinpu impedance.
Finally, a comme cial high- ol age powe supply (NHR220 HV Sou ce om iseg,
Radebe g, Ge many) was used o apply he wo king bias o he PMT. A schema ic o he
expe imen al se up is displayed in Figu e 5.
3
4
5
Figu e 5. Expe imen al se up o he implan a ion chambe . The de ec o was exposed o a pulsed
p o on beam and he esponse was eco ded using a as oscilloscope as a unc ion o he ion
beam posi ion.
This se o measu emen s aims o in es iga e he dependence o a scin illa ion de ec o
esponse on he speci ic impac poin s o he ion beam. Du ing he measu emen s, he
ion beam was kep s a iona y o ensu e uni o m i adia ion, while he a ge was mo ed
along he X–Y axes using s eppe mo o s ha allowed o p ecise linea displacemen along
bo h axes, wi h a spa ial esolu ion o 0.1 mm pe s ep. This p ecision was c ucial o
accu a ely posi ioning he ion beam and ensu ing ha he scans co e ed he de ec o a ea
Senso s 2025,25, 971 9 o 23
ho oughly. Du ing his cha ac e iza ion a 2 MeV pulsed p o on beam was employed. In
con inuous mode, he beam was con igu ed o ha e a cu en o
≈
1.6 nA and a beam size
o
≈
1 mm
2
. The beam cu en was measu ed using a cu en in eg a o (Model 1000C
by B ookha en Ins umen s Co po a ion, New Yo k, NY, USA). To mi iga e he isk o
sa u a ing he PMT due o excessi e ligh gene a ed in he scin illa o , he pulsed beam
ea u ed a pulse wid h o 1
µ
s and a epe i ion a e o 1 kHz, deli e ing app oxima ely
9400 p o ons pe pulse. Du ing he cha ac e iza ion, he de ec o was biased a
−
1000 V,
and a each designa ed i adia ion poin , a minimum o 8000 wa e o ms we e eco ded.
These da a we e subsequen ly p ocessed o line using a cus om Ma lab sc ip , which
a e aged he wa e o ms o enhance he signal- o-noise a io. Fo he ho izon al scan,
which co esponded o he mino dimension o he de ec o , ou dis inc impac poin s
we e selec ed a a ixed e ical posi ion o 17.5 mm om he PMMA, wi h each poin
spaced 2.8 mm apa . In he e ical di ec ion, ep esen ing he majo dimension o he
de ec o , eigh impac poin s we e chosen, cen e ed a X = 0 mm ( he cen e o he ho izon al
dimension), wi h spacing ca e ully de e mined o ensu e comple e co e age o he de ec o
su ace, wi h each poin spaced 5 mm apa . Figu e 6(Top) illus a es he empo al esponse
o he de ec o o he pulsed beam a a ious ho izon al posi ions along he de ec o anging
om −3.5 mm o 4.8 mm.
4
6
Figu e 6. (Top) A e aged empo al wa e o ms o he de ec o exposed o a 2 MeV pulsed p o on
beam a di e en ho izon al loca ions anging om
−
3.5 mm o 4.8 mm. The PMT was biased a
−
1000 V. (Bo om) Fla - op le el plo ed agains he impac posi ion along he ho izon al axis. The
magen a line indica es he bes pa abolic i o he se o da a.
Senso s 2025,25, 971 16 o 23
10
11
12
13
Figu e 12. Schema ic o he ToF sys em a he CNA nuclea mic op obe, showing de ec o s posi ioned
130 cm apa . The plas ic de ec o was ins alled 38 cm be o e he collima o sli s.
10
11
12
13
Figu e 13. Elec onic chain diag am o ToF expe imen s. The componen s a e labeled as ollows: CA
(Cu en Ampli ie ), PO (Pick-o ), TAC (Time- o-Ampli ude Con e e ), ADC (Analog- o-Digi al
Con e e ), MCA (Mul i-Channel Analyze ), and OSC (Oscilloscope).
Wi h his con igu a ion, he ou pu signal om he plas ic de ec o (S a signal)
ollowing he passage o an ion and he signal om he Si de ec o when i de ec s he same
ion (S op signal) a e ansmi ed o he se o pick-o s (Model 9307 by O ec, Oak Ridge, TN,
USA). They a e ypically used in applica ions wi h ul a- as de ec o s equi ing picosecond
p ecision, and ul a- as ci cui s a e inco po a ed o minimize ime slewing [
44
]. The ou pu
signals om he plas ic de ec o do no need any addi ional ampli ica ion; howe e , in
he case o he PIPS de ec o , he ou pu signal was ampli ied using a C2-HV B oadband
Ampli ie (Ci idec, Vienna, Aus ia) wi h a gain o +40 dB and an inpu /ou pu impedance
o 50
Ω
[
45
]. A e p ocessing each pulse o shape he signals app op ia ely, bo h signals
a e sen o he TAC (Model 567 by Ame ek, Oak Ridge, TN, USA). Finally, he ou pu
pulse is digi ized by an ADC (OM-1000e om Ox o d Mic obeams, Bices e , UK) and he
ampli ude dis ibu ion is p ocessed by an MCA. A e comple ing he signal p ocessing, a
his og am o he ime elapsed be ween wo de ec ed e en s a he S a and S op de ec o s,
known as he ime spec um, can be ob ained. The ini ial s ep in ensu ing accu a e ToF
measu emen in ol es he calib a ion o he elec onic chain o co ec ly assign he co ec
ime in e als o he ou pu signals om he MCA [
46
]. The calib a ion o he elec onic
chain was conduc ed using a Time Calib a o (TC) module (Model 462 by O ec), which
gene a es wo ou pu signals, o each igge e en , o known sepa a ion in ime delays
ha mimic he S a and S op signals. Fo he calib a ion, he TC was se o p oduce a
signal ain wi h a 10 ns pe iod and a ange o 160 ns. The ime di e ence be ween he
TC signals o each e en is igge ed by a andom gene a o wi h he same p obabili y
Senso s 2025,25, 971 17 o 23
dis ibu ion [
47
]. The TAC was se o a ange o 200 ns, so i only p ocesses signals wi h
ime di e ences o 200 ns o less, gene a ing an analog pulse wi h an ampli ude anging
om 0 V o 10 V, p opo ional o he ime di e ence be ween he S a and S op signals.
Figu e 14 (Top) shows he pulse heigh spec um ob ained du ing he calib a ion, whe e a
se o 16 peaks sepa a ed by he TC se pe iod a e clea ly isible.
11
14
Figu e 14. (Top) Pulse heigh spec um ob ained wi h a TC se o a pe iod o 10 ns and a ange
o 160 ns. The TAC was se o a ange o 200 ns. (Bo om) Time pe iods plo ed agains he mos
p obable cen oid o he peaks, wi h he blue line ep esen ing he bes linea i .
The leng h o he coaxial cables used o connec ions in oduces an addi ional em-
po al delay (app oxima ely 5 ns/m o 50
Ω
coaxial cables [
48
]) be ween he wo signals.
Howe e , his delay is cons an and does no signi ican ly a ec he sys em’s empo al
esolu ion, as he cable leng hs o bo h signals we e kep he same and sho enough o
a oid dis o ing he pulse shapes o high- equency signals [
49
]. The MCA was con igu ed
wi h a esolu ion o 10 bi s (1024 channels). Figu e 14 (Bo om) depic s he mos p obable
cen oid posi ion (ob ained om Gaussian i s o he peaks in he pulse heigh spec um) o
each peak as a unc ion o he TC pe iods ( ed squa es). The blue line ep esen s he bes i
o he da a ob ained h ough leas squa es i ing. I is obse ed ha , wi hin he selec ed
ange, he sys em exhibi s linea beha io (R
2
= 0.99999), and he calib a ion enables he
es ablishmen o a channel– ime in e al ela ionship, essen ial o ToF measu emen s and
he de e mina ion o he empo al esolu ion. The pe o mance o he calib a ed se up
was es ed by measu ing he ToF dis ibu ion o a 3 MeV p o on beam using he same
elec onic chain. Fo his measu emen , he plas ic de ec o was ully inse ed and biased a
−
1150 V, he PIPS de ec o was exposed o he ion beam wi h a wo king bias o +70 V, and
he coun a e a he Si de ec o was educed o a ew pa icles pe second. The ol age o
Senso s 2025,25, 971 18 o 23
he PMT was selec ed because he pick-o modules equi e a minimum h eshold in he
ampli ude o he inpu wa e o ms o p ocess he signal. Due o he angula di e gence
and ansmission o he ion beam o he mic op obe chambe , as well as he appea ance o
unco ela ed e en s due o he da k cu en in he PMT (which equency depends on he
applied bias), he coun a e is highe in he plas ic de ec o compa ed o he PIPS de ec o .
To disc imina e alse coincidence e en s and minimize dead ime in he TAC, he s a
signal was se o he pulse wi h he lowe coun a e, which, in his case, co esponds o he
PIPS de ec o . The TAC ange was se o 200 ns, and he h eshold disc imina o le els o
he pick-o s we e adjus ed o be abo e he elec onic noise le el. The beam, a e passing
h ough he quad upole iple , was ocused o a size o 2–5
µ
m. Figu e 15 displays he ToF
spec um measu ed o a 3 MeV p o on beam.
12
15
Figu e 15. ToF spec um o a 3 MeV p o on beam a eling 130 cm. The inse shows a zoom o he
main peak wi h he bes Gaussian i , indica ing a s anda d de ia ion σ= 2.3 ns.
Two no able ea u es a e e iden om his igu e: The main peak ep esen s he
empo al dis ibu ion o p o ons ( ue coincidence e en s) a eling and de ec ed in bo h
de ec o s. Addi ionally, he pulse heigh spec a a e obse ed o lie a op a con inuous
pla eau, which is a ibu ed o he andom occu ence o he da k cu en , esul ing in
unco ela ed ime e en s. E en hough he main peak is no comple ely symme ic, he
peak cen oid and empo al esolu ion o he sys em a e de e mined om he mean alue
and s anda d de ia ion o he Gaussian i o he main peak. F om he inne igu e, i can be
obse ed ha he e is good ag eemen be ween he empo al spec um peak (con inuous
blue line) and he Gaussian i (dashed ed line). F om his i ing, i is ound ha he
mos p obable ToF o he p o on beam is
≈
56.9 ns, wi h a s anda d de ia ion o 2.3 ns.
This a e age ToF pe ec ly ma ches he alue ob ained h ough SRIM simula ions, using
he ela i is ic eloci y equa ion and he p ojec ion along he incoming di ec ion. Fo ToF
measu emen s, he de ini ion o ime esolu ion a ies among di e en au ho s. In some
wo ks, i is con en ionally gi en by he oo mean squa e (RMS) o he iming di e ence
be ween he s a and s op signals [
50
]. Howe e , he common consensus de ines he ime
esolu ion o he acquisi ion sys em as he ull wid h a hal maximum (FWHM) o a p omp
coincidence ime dis ibu ion, assuming ha he iming unce ain ies in bo h b anches a e
Gaussian ype [51]. In ou expe imen al se up,
FWHM =2q2ln(2)σ≈5.4 ns (3)
Senso s 2025,25, 971 19 o 23
I is impo an o no e ha his ime esolu ion does no solely e lec he esolu ion
o he plas ic de ec o . Conside ing negligible con ibu ions om o he sou ces (such as
ime-walk, eadou elec onics, ime ji e , Landau luc ua ions, dis o ions, e c. [
52
]) o he
empo al esolu ion, he measu ed esolu ion can be exp essed as he quad a ic sum o he
esolu ions o he in ol ed de ec o s as ollows:
σ2
Measu ed ≈σ2
Plas ic +σ2
PIPS (4)
whe e
σMeasu ed
,
σPlas ic
, and
σPIPS
co espond o he measu ed empo al esolu ion, he
empo al esolu ion o he plas ic de ec o , and he empo al esolu ion o he PIPS de ec o ,
espec i ely. I should be no ed ha he empo al esolu ion o he PIPS de ec o is no
negligible compa ed o ha o he plas ic de ec o , so he measu ed empo al esolu ion
ep esen s an uppe limi o he ac ual esolu ion.
In addi ion o he ToF measu emen using he elec onic chain, he p ope unc ioning
o he ToF se up was u he e i ied by eco ding bo h he S a and S op signals o each
e en using he LeC oy HDO9404 high-speed oscilloscope. A se o
≈
1000 wa e o ms a e
shown in Figu e 16 o he plas ic de ec o (Top) and PIPS de ec o (Bo om).
13
16
Figu e 16. Selec ed wa e o ms o he plas ic de ec o (Top) and he PIPS de ec o (Bo om). The
wa e o ms we e eco ded using he wo-channel igge mode on he oscilloscope.
To a oid si ua ions whe e an ion does no hi he o he de ec o , he oscilloscope was
con igu ed in a wo-channel igge mode, equi ing bo h condi ions o be me o indica e a
coincidence e en . An e en is eco ded only when he wa e o ms simul aneously each
igge le els o
−
37.8 mV o he PIPS de ec o and
−
29.8 mV o he plas ic de ec o .
Senso s 2025,25, 971 20 o 23
As shown in Figu e 16, he indi idual wa e o ms om he plas ic de ec o a e as e (on
he o de o a ew ns) compa ed o he signals om he PIPS de ec o (on he o de o
ens o ns), esul ing in much na owe wa e o ms om he plas ic de ec o han om
he PIPS de ec o . Howe e , he plas ic scin illa o has a much wide peak dis ibu ion
han he PIPS de ec o due o he oscilloscope con igu a ion. Wi h his se up, he a i al
ime o he plas ic de ec o wa e o ms is measu ed o each e en ha sa is ies i s own
igge condi ions. Howe e , he ins an o ime (a i al ime) a which hese e en s occu
is ma ked by he PIPS de ec o , as his sys em de ines he o igin o ime o he coupled
sys em in ou cu en con igu a ion. As he ime-o - ligh o he ions ollows a dis ibu ion
due o ene gy s aggling as hey pass h ough he plas ic de ec o , he collec ed wa e o ms
p esen a wide dis ibu ion. To ob ain he ToF as he di e ence in he a i al imes o bo h
signals, one would ypically use ime–picko me hods such as Leading edge igge ing,
Fas ze o-c ossing igge ing, o he Cons an ac ion disc imina o [
53
]. Howe e , his
issue is a om he main goal o his measu emen , which was o e i y ha he esul s
ob ained wi h he ToF elec onics a e consis en wi h hose ob ained by di ec ly measu ing
he signals on he oscilloscope.
4. Conclusions
In his s udy, a de ec o based on a no el ul a- hin o ganic scin illa o was success-
ully ins alled and es ed a he CNA. This sys em ep esen ed he i s implemen a ion o
an ex e nal igge in he nuclea mic op obe o his acili y, demons a ing i s po en ial
o bo h single ion de ec ion and ToF measu emen s. One signi ican inding was ha
he expe imen al hickness o he scin illa o shee was no ably lowe han he speci ied
comme cial hickness. This de ia ion posed challenges ega ding signal ampli ude, as
obse ed du ing he e alua ion o he da k cu en . Howe e , i also con ibu ed o educed
ene gy s aggling, esul ing in a less pe u bed beam, which is c i ical o p ecise iming
measu emen s. The de ec o esponse showed a s ong dependence on he impac posi ion
o MeV p o ons; ne e heless, i emained p edominan ly linea wi h he applied wo king
bias. Al hough his spa ial dependency equi ed conside a ion, i did no impede he
sys em’s unc ion as an ex e nal igge in TRIBIC measu emen s, whe e he cen e o he
beam was aligned wi h he cen e o he de ec o a he op imal posi ion o he linea manip-
ula o . Mo eo e , a key ad an age o his se up was i s low ansmission alue h ough he
collima o sli s. Conside ing he dimensions o he ape u e, less han 0.6% o he inciden
ions ansmi ed h ough he collima o sli s o he 2 MeV p o on beam, which inc eased
o app oxima ely 1.6% o a 3 MeV p o on beam. This low ansmission unde sco es he
need o high cu en s a he de ec o loca ion, making he scin illa o an op imal choice
due o i s supe io adia ion ha dness, which enables ope a ion unde condi ions ha
would be de imen al o hin semiconduc o de ec o s used in ansmission mode while
s ill achie ing accep able ansmission le els o he mic op obe chambe . In conclusion, his
new se up shows g ea po en ial and signi ican ly enhances he capabili ies o he ion beam
nuclea mic op obe. Fu u e wo k will ocus on eplacing he PIPS de ec o wi h a Low Gain
A alanche De ec o (LGAD), which o e s negligible empo al esolu ion issues, he eby
allowing o a di ec measu emen o he empo al esolu ion o he plas ic scin illa o .
Au ho Con ibu ions: Concep ualiza ion, J.G.L., M.S., J.J.M. and M.d.C.J.R.; me hodology, M.R.R.
and J.G.L.; so wa e, M.R.R.; alida ion, M.R.R. and J.G.L.; o mal analysis, M.R.R.; in es iga ion,
M.R.R., J.G.L., C.T.M. and M.d.C.J.R.; esou ces, M.S. and J.J.M.; da a cu a ion, M.R.R.; w i ing—
o iginal d a p epa a ion, M.R.R.; w i ing— e iew and edi ing, M.R.R., J.G.L., M.S. and M.d.C.J.R.;
supe ision, J.G.L. and M.d.C.J.R.; p ojec adminis a ion, J.G.L., M.S. and M.d.C.J.R.; unding
acquisi ion, J.G.L., M.S. and M.d.C.J.R. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o
he manusc ip .
Senso s 2025,25, 971 21 o 23
Funding: This esea ch was pa ially unded by he Regional Minis y o Economy, Knowledge,
Business and Uni e si y g an numbe US-1380791. M.C. Jiménez-Ramos acknowledges he suppo
o his wo k h ough a VI PPIT-US con ac . This in es iga ion has also been pa ially inanced by
he p ojec e . ASTRO21/1.1/1 wi h inancing om he Eu opean Union—Nex Gene a ionEU, he
Minis y o Science, Inno a ion and Uni e si ies, Reco e y Plan, T ans o ma ion and Resilience, he
Depa men o Uni e si y, Resea ch and Inno a ion o he Jun a de Andalucía and he Uni e si y
o Se illa. P ojec CIAICO/2022/008, unded by he egional go e nmen (Gene ali a Valenciana)
wi hin he p og am “I+D+i Sub enciones pa a g upos de in es igación consolidados AICO”, has also
con ibu ed pa ial unding. Jessica Juan Mo ales holds a con ac by CSIC o he p og am ‘Talen
a ac ion and e en ion (Momen um)’, e . MMT24-I3M-01-01b. The unding o hese ac ions/g an s
and con ac s comes om he Eu opean Union’s Reco e y and Resilience Facili y Nex Gene a ion, in
he amewo k o he Gene al In i a ion o he Spanish Go e nmen ’s public business en i y Red.es
o pa icipa e in alen a ac ion and e en ion p og ammes wi hin In es men 4 o Componen 19 o
he Reco e y, T ans o ma ion and Resilience Plan.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen : No applicable.
In o med Consen S a emen : No applicable.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen : The o iginal con ibu ions p esen ed in he s udy a e included in he
a icle; u he inqui ies can be di ec ed o he co esponding au ho .
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
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