ARDESIA: 4-Channels Fast SDD X-ray Spectrometer for Synchrotron Applications

This work reports on the development of the ARDESIA spectrometer. ARDESIA is a SDD-based, multichannel X-ray spectrometer, optimized for synchrotron applications that require a high-rate (Mcps), high-resolution (below 150 eV FWHM at shaping time faster than 200 ns) soft X-ray detection. The main applications for which ARDESIA is designed are X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) techniques. A compact, low-noise detection module has been developed for the instrument. The detector signals are amplified by a monolithic four-channel CUBE preamplifier and processed by a digital pulse processor to achieve short pulse processing times, to highlight the good performances of the module at high count rates (about 1 Mcps per channel). In this work, the characterization of the second release of the ARDESIA detection module is reported. This second release has fixed few issues presented by the first one and it is now a stable solution for high performances X-ray spectroscopy. After that, the complete 4-channel instrument is presented. The instrument has been realized so that the detection module can properly fit inside a synchrotron scattering chamber with a finger-like structure. The mechanical structure grants cooling, with a double Peltier TEC strategy, vacuum, insulation from the harsh surrounding environment and potential for placing side-by-side several spectrometers.