Energy Resolving X-ray Array Detectors for Synchrotron Science Brainstorming 5 & 6 February 2009

The ESRF Upgrade program foresees a significant investment in new detectors.  The goal of this meeting, funded by the ESFRI, was to discuss the needs of existing and planned ESRF beamlines, and draw conclusions for the development of future high performance detectors.

 
The meeting was opened by Sine Larsen, ESRF Research Director who presented the ESRF Upgrade Program and stressed the importance of feedback on detector developments. Some 17 talks were given in the 1-1/2 day meeting attended by 33 invited synchrotron scientists and detector experts (for the speaker program, click here). Presentations were given by synchrotron scientists already exploiting energy resolving detectors in their experimental work: they described the limitations of detector systems in use today and priorities for detector upgrades.

The practical aspects of operating detectors at 3^rd generation sources (restricted sample-detector space, consequences of beam polarization...) were also presented. Subsequent talks by detector experts reviewed existing, state-of-the-art energy resolving X-ray detectors used both within and outside the synchrotron community, and ongoing developments that can offer substantial performance improvements over the next decade (to download the talks, see below).

Particular attention was given to array detector systems that offer faster data collection or combine both spatial and energy resolution. The meeting concluded with a 'round table' which discussed the most appropriate detector developments to pursue for the ESRF upgrade and the challenges associated with the development of high-Z detector materials needed for high energy applications.

PRESENTATIONS

High Rate X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (A. Dent, DIAMOND)

Monolithic 7-cell SDD-detector module for fluorescence XAFS spectroscopy without liquid nitrogen (E. Welter, DESY)

Magnetic circular dichroism in X-ray fluorescence cascade processes

(A. Rogalev, ESRF)

Energy dispersive detector requirements for NanoImaging and NanoAnalysis(NINA)

(P. Cloetens)

Polarization and background in EDX experiments (J. Szlatchetko, ESRF)

Imaging and Spectroscopy needs for X-ray detection in earth and planetary sciences

(A. Simionovici, Univ.Grenoble)

X-ray micro and nanoprobe studies in earth, environmental and materials sciences

(A. Somogyi, SOLEIL)

Polycapillary based confocal detection schemes for micro and nano-spectroscopy

(B. Vekemans, Univ.Gent)

Experience of multielement detector systems on synchrotron radiation facilities

(J. Headspith, STFC)

High speed direct X-ray imager for photon science (L. Strueder, MPI)

Spectroscopic Imaging with CCDs (A. Holland, PSSRI)

Medipix3, a pixel readout chip for spectroscopic imaging (L. Tlustos, CERN)

X-ray detectors combined with wavelenght dispersive optics-the urgent need for energy-resolving pixel detectors (P. Glatzel & S. Huotari, ESRF)

Cryogenic detectors (P. Verhoeven, ESA-ESTEC)

Energy dispersive detectors for high energy applications (V. Honkimaki, ESRF)

Compound semiconductor detectors (A. Owens ESA)

Cadmium zinc telluride pixel detectors (P. Seller, STFC-RAL)