SII Vortex-ME4 User manual
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008
Vortex-ME4™
Multi-Element Silicon Drift Detector X-Ray Spectrometer
User’s Manual
SII NanoTechnology USA Inc.
19865 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91324
Phone (818) 280-0745
Fax (818) 280-0408
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 1
This manual is the property of SII NanoTechnology USA, Inc. (SNTUS), and may not be copied or
reproduced in any manner or form without the prior written consent of SNTUS.
This manual and the data herein are subject to change at any time without notification.
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 2
Table of Contents
1. General Instructions............................................................................................3
2. Safety and Precautions........................................................................................3
2.1 Thin beryllium (Be) window ..........................................................................3
2.2 Mechanical shock............................................................................................3
2.3 Turning the system ON/OFF .........................................................................4
2.4 Operation in noisy environments ..................................................................4
3. System Description.............................................................................................4
3.1 SDD package....................................................................................................4
3.2 Power supply (PS) electronics box................................................................6
3.3 Preamplifiers ...................................................................................................7
4. Operation.............................................................................................................9
4.1 Setting up for operation..................................................................................9
4.2 Powering down the system...........................................................................10
4.3 Turning the system ON/OFF when not in use............................................10
5. Trouble Shooting................................................................................................10
5.1 The spectrum cannot be acquired...............................................................10
5.1.1 Preamplifier does not ramp up in voltage.................................................11
5.1.2 Preamplifier output is always positive......................................................11
5.2 Poor energy resolution and/or noisy ...........................................................11
6. Technical Support..............................................................................................11
7. Inspection and Acceptance................................................................................11
8. General Warranty..............................................................................................12
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 3
1. General Instructions
•The detector arrives with an external battery connected to the DB-15 connector of the
silicon drift detector (SDD) package. This external battery should be disconnected
after arriving at the final location and the SDD package should be connected to the
power line through the external +12 V DC wall transformer. The SDD package
should be connected to the power line at all times. However, if necessary, it is
acceptable to disconnect it from the power line for up to 100 hours.
•The beryllium window in the front of the detector, at the end of the probe, is only
12.5 µm thick, thus great care must be taken to ensure that nothing comes in contact
with it. Cover the edge of the probe with the protective plastic cover when not in use.
•The SDD package must be mounted with the snout in the horizontal position, or tilted
slightly so that the detector end of the snout is facing down. Do not mount the SDD
package into a position such that the detector end of the snout is tilted up.
•The system can be stored at room temperature without any special care, but it is
recommended that it be stored in a location with low humidity.
•List of items delivered:
- SDD package
- Digital Pulse Processor and/or Power Supply
- Main biasing cable
- +12 V DC wall transformer
- User’s Manual CD
2. Safety and Precautions
2.1 Thin beryllium (Be) window
•The Be window at the front of the detector probe is extremely thin and fragile. Never
touch, shake, or subject the detector window to thermal shock. Cover the Be window
with the protective cap when detector is not in use.
•Do not allow any object to come in contact with the window.
•If breakage of the window does occur, return the product to SNTUS for repair.
2.2 Mechanical shock
The system is a relatively rugged device. However, traumatic handling or dropping it
onto the floor from a bench height, can definitely cause damage. If it is not attached to a table or
other equipment, keep the detector in a safe place to prevent accidental mistreatment.
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 4
2.3 Turning the system ON/OFF
Do not turn the system ON immediately after turning it OFF! As with most electronic
systems, there is a momentary recharging process that takes place after rebooting the system. It is
therefore important to wait ~3 minutes before turning the system back ON.
Unless it is absolutely necessary, avoid turning the detector OFF for at least 3 minutes
after it has been turned ON and after it has reached its stable operating temperature.
Never turn OFF the external +12 V DC wall transformer!
2.4 Operation in noisy environments
The Vortex® instruments are specifically designed to be extremely sensitive to very low
signal levels. Thus, if the Vortex®is operating in an electrically “noisy” environment, or if it is
subjected to abnormal electro-magnetic interference, it may not operate properly. These
conditions are extremely rare, and would not be expected to be encountered under normal
operating conditions in a laboratory environment. However, if you suspect you are observing
electro-magnetic interference effects, please contact technical support at SNTUS to determine
the solution.
3. System Description
The system is comprised of three main parts, as shown in Figure 1: the SDD package, the
power supply (PS) box and cable.
Figure 1. The Vortex-ME4™ multi-element detector system. Left to right: PS box, cable, SDD
package.
3.1 SDD package
The SDD package includes the vacuum chamber and the preamplifier box. The vacuum
chamber is sealed with a Be window and includes four SDD detectors, each with a first
amplification stage field effect transistor (FET) and thermoelectric cooler (TEC). The
preamplifier box includes four preamplifiers, the temperature controller circuit, an ion pump with
the ion pump power supply, the ion pump power supply back-up battery and the electrical
connections. The SDD package weighs 3.8 kg. The SDD package is shown in Figures 2 and 3,
with external dimensions shown in Figure 4.
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 5
The preamplifier box back panel includes the DB-15, four BNC and Power Jack
connectors, two test points and one LED, as shown in Figure 3. The DB-15 connector is for the
detector power supply and the BNC connectors are for the signal output. The test point “T” is for
the SDD temperature testing. The power jack is for the external +12 V DC wall transformer that
supplies the ion pump power. The test point IP is for measuring the current of the ion pump. The
LED is lit when power is supplied to the ion pump from the external +12 V DC wall transformer.
Figure 2. Vortex-ME4™ SDD package.
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 6
2x
6mm
REAR VIEW
Ø72.4mm
BOTTOM VIEW
143.1mm
6x
6-32 UNC-2B
X .250 DP 92.3mm 41.5mm
2X
30.3mm
FRONT VIEW
165mm
235.8mm
207mm
Ø38.1mm
81.3mm 176.6mm
2x
6mm
4x
Ø8.6mm
43.2mm
12.5 MICRON
Be WINDOW
40.6mm
Figure 4. Vortex-ME4™ SDD package with external dimensions (in mm).
3.2 Power supply (PS) electronics box
The PS electronics box includes the detector power supply that provides four separate
voltages to bias the SDDs, and power supplies that provide power to the TEC and to the rest of
the electronics. The front and the back panels of the PS electronics box are shown in Figures 5
and 6, respectively. The PS box has external dimensions of 220.2 x 152.4 x 87.63 mm3 (L x W
x H) and the weight is 2.2 kg.
VORTEX ELECTRONICS
TEC
DETECTOR
Figure 5. Front panel of PS electronics box.
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 7
DETECTOR POWER
BD
Figure 6. Back panel of PS electronics box.
On the front panel of the PS box (Figure 5) there are the two LEDs indicating the detector
voltage and the TEC operation:
•Detector voltage LED is lit when the system is ON and the detector is biased
normally.
•TEC LED is Red 2-3 minutes after turning the system ON and indicates that the
detector is cooling down.
•TEC LED is Green or Yellow when the detector cooling process is complete
and the detector is functioning normally.
On the back panel of the PS electronics box (Figure 6) are the ON/OFF switch, the
detector power connector and the detector bias test points.
3.3 Preamplifiers
There are four preamplifiers, one for each SDD. The preamplifier is a charge-sensitive
preamplifier, which is optimized to work with a transistor-reset FET. All four preamplifiers have
a common reset to avoid potential crosstalk among the four detectors. Figure 7 shows the
oscilloscope traces of the four preamplifier output signals under normal operating conditions.
The ramp voltage range is from ~ -2 V to ~ +2 V.
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 8
Figure 7. Oscilloscope traces of the four preamplifier output signals when the detector is
detecting an x-ray signal.
The output signal from the preamplifier is a step wave function with its height
proportional to the energy of the incident photon (~1.5 mV per 1 keV photon energy), as is
shown in Figure 8. The mV/keV ratio can be modified per the customer’s request, if required.
With an x-ray source applied, the preamplifier output signal consists of positive steps
superimposed on an irregularly spaced ramp of positive slope, as is shown in Figure 8. The
negative reset duration is about 1 µs.
Figure 8. Oscilloscope trace of preamplifier output step pulse, including noise. The height of
the step is proportional to the x-ray energy.
Rev. 5.1 February 4, 2008 p. 9
4. Operation
Make sure that the external +12 V DC wall transformer is connected to the power
line and the LED on the detector back panel is lit all the time. Check that the voltage at the
ion pump IP test point does not exceed -3 V. Usually the IP test point voltage is less than -0.3 V.
4.1 Setting up for operation
•Connect the appropriate ends of the cables to the preamplifier box back panel
connectors shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9. Vortex-ME4™ SDD package and PS electronics box.
- Main biasing cable connects to the D-Sub 15 pin connector including: Detector
Bias, TEC and preamplifier power.
- Output cables to Preamps Out.
•Connect the other end of the cables to:
-D-Sub 15 pin connector to Detector Power connector of the PS electronics box.
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