Design and Performance of Low Power Miniature Electronics for Radiation Sensors

Strengthening the assurance that materials which have been placed under Containment and Storage remain in their initial condition is a continuing and future concern. There is a need to develop technology that will make it possible for tamper indicating devices (TIDs) to incorporate more capabilities. The development of any new smart TID technology will depend on the ability to develop new miniature, low power, and inexpensive electronic instrumentation. This instrumentation will need to be flexible enough to gather and interpret data from a new generation of radiation sensors. The inclusion of radiation sensors with smart TIDs will further enhance the ability to ensure continuity of knowledge and the authentication of materials that have been placed under a Containment and Storage scenario. This paper presents a progress report on a design for a low power miniature front-end electronics that could be used with solid state radiation sensors. Testing has been recently been completed on a preamplifier prototype. The results of this testing indicated that the present design is adequate for sensors that do not provide spectroscopic information. However, some of the results indicated that the design may not be suitable for spectroscopic sensors. Currently the design of the preamplifier is being refined. When the testing and optimization of the preamplifier prototype has been completed, it will be integrated with a shaping amplifier so that this low power device can be used with solid state sensors (such as solid state neutron detectors, CdTe , etc.). The final design will be incorporated into an application specific microelectronic chip.