A pixel read-out chip for the PILATUS project

For the protein crystallography beamlime of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), w hich will be operational in summer 2001, the PILATUS detector (PIxeL Appara TUs for the SLS) is currently being built. The goal of the PILATUS project is a hybrid pixel system with a size of 40 x 40 cm(2) having 2000 x 2000 pi xels. The detector will be operated in single photon counting mode for 12 k eV X-rays. The prototype pixel read-out chip has a noise of 75 e(-) with se nsor, a low threshold dispersion and a maximum count rate of 1 MHz/pixel. D ue to the expected radiation dose in operation at the beamline, the chip is designed in radiation hard DMILL technology. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.