TlBr Industry Day 2023 Combined Presentations.pdf

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction

COUNTERING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

CWMD TlBr THOR Industry Day Tuesday, February 7, 2023

10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Alan Janos

Agenda – high level 09:30 Set up TEAMS and test w/ participants 10:00 Welcome / Schedule 10:10 Goals and Outcomes

• Comments from R&D Division Director 10:30 Background/History of CWMD’s TlBr R&D and Current Status (R&D) 11:15 THOR Acquisition Approach (ACQ) 11:45 Operational Perspective (CBP LSS) 12:00 Break - Lunch 12:30 TlBr Semiconductor Detector Summary (RMD) w/Q&A 13:15 Pixelated TlBr Detector Updates (RMD) w/Q&A 13:35 Pixelated Demo (U Mich) w/Q&A 14:00 Development of CFG Core Detector Modules (BTI) w/Q&A 14:30 Q&A Period / Vendor Feedback 14:45 Wrap-Up / Next Steps 15:00 End Engagement

RMD (Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc.) and BTI (Bubble Technologies, Inc.), both small businesses, and their sub-contractors, have conducted the R&D work being discussed today via prior-years funding from CWMD (and DNDO) under BAA solicitations agreements

– CWMD plans for their continued involvement in the present phase of the project so as to leverage their knowledge and development of TlBr-based CDMs

– Potential vendors may team with, learn from, form agreements with, etc., these entities as part of their potential future proposals, but are not required to do so

Current TlBr Project Partners

Roll Call

1. Advanced Measurement Technology/

/ORTEC/AMETEK

2. Aerocine Ventures, Inc. (dba "Vermeer)*

3. Arktis Detection Systems, Inc*

4. Avantus Federal (QinetiQ)*

5. Berkeley Nucleonics*

6. Bubble Technology Industries, Inc. (BTI)

7. Brookhaven Nat’l Lab (BNL)

8. CapeSym

9. CFD Research Corporation*

10. H3D, Inc

11. innoRIID GmbH

12. Innovative Physics Limited

13. KG-Ventures LLC

14. Kromek

15. Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL)

16. Luxium Solutions*

17. Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc.(RMD)

18. Radiation Solutions Inc.*

19. Rapiscan Systems/AS&E, Inc.*

20. Symetrica

21. Target - Target Systemelektronik

GmbH & Co. KG

22. Teledyne FLIR Systems

23. Thermo Fisher*

24. Triple Ring Technologies*

25. University of Michigan (U Mich)

* = new since last Industry Day

High-Level Goals of Today’s Industry Day

Update Rad/Nuc instrument manufacturing community since last Industry Day held in Oct 2021:

– Status of technology

– Latest envisioned path forward for Acquisition and Procurements

Dialog with Industry and obtain more feedback as to best path forward

More accurate isotope identification Faster isotope identification Lower false alarm rates Less need for secondary inspection Lower cost; wider deployment - increased probably of detection Lower weight, size, power, complexity More rugged Possibly replace 2 classes of RIID: Advanced, Basic

This presentation won’t go into all the factors contributing to each of the above strengths.

Operational User Advantages of TlBr-based Pixelated RIIDs compared to COTS

Some Historical Background – Significant Evolution Sept 2018: Two programs started to develop high performance, low cost RIIDs based on TlBr

– Two approaches, each “pixelated”, but in different ways

⁺ What is being called “Pixelated”–RMD (Radiation Monitoring Devices) w/ U Mich, LLNL, H3D

⁺ CFG (really PS-CFG: Position Sensitive CFG [Capacitive Frisch Grid]) – BTI with BNL, RMD

– Each approach appeared/appears to have its own pros and cons

– Both approaches may find well-suited application spaces

April 2019 – given direction to start planning and efforts to:

1. Accelerate the development of this technology

2. Engage the wider Rad/Nuc community

3. Mesh with future Acquisition (ACQ) procurements

April 18,2020 – Held 1st Industry Day

1st Industry Day April 2020 – 1/2 Going into the April 2020 Industry Day

– Aimed to inform industry on goals to accelerate development and pull in wider community involvement

– Thoughts were to provide some form of Core Detector Modules to industry, reasons being:

⁺ Benefits of TlBr pixelated approach derive from both the material itself and the powerful readout techniques to further improve performance ⁺ Much time, effort, funding had gone into developing the technologies for both;

did not want to “re-invent the wheel”

– Would seek Industry opinions on preferred form for technology xfer (possibly as GFE) to the wider Rad/Nuc community, e.g.:

⁺ Primitive Core Detector Module (CDM) – dressed crystal (w/ or w/o ASIC), or ⁺ Full-Up CDM – including electronics, software; outputs calibrated spectra

1st Industry Day April 2020 – 2/2 Coming out of April 2020 Industry Day

– Community clearly preferred Full-Up CDMs – at least to start with

– 5 Issues identified which needed better addressing, addressed by:

⁺ 5 White Papers (WPs) were written and posted on www.beta.sam.gov (now www.sam.gov) to address these issues

– CWMD would supply at least version-1 CDMs as GFE ⁺ Version-1 would demonstrate performance, not SWAP (Size, Weight and Power) ⁺ Version-2 would demonstrate even better performance as well as

SWAP

- Version-2 CDMs would include version-2 ASICs (fully digital and optimized) http://www.beta.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

2nd Industry Day October 2021 – 1/2 Existing programs started delivering CDMs from June 2021 thru March 2022

(end of then present contracts) – but these were early versions, not the final targeted sizes, dimensions, pixelation count

Going into the October 2021 Industry Day, decisions were made to:

– Not provide CDMs as GFE from the existing 2 active R&D efforts. Instead, 3rd party vendors would utilize THOR to make arrangements for access to desired parts of the technology (e.g., detector stack, +ASIC?, +Front-End Electronics, …)

– Move resources in the ongoing programs from the parallel task effort of developing both version-1 and version-2 CDMs to, instead, acceleration of efforts to provide a version-1 CDM much earlier

– Demonstrate version-1 CDMs (partly done in 2nd Industry Day as well as today)

– Move all 3rd party vendor (i.e., THOR instrument manufacturer Integrators) hands-on access to CDM technology (i.e., hardware, software, firmware) into the THOR follow-on program, at levels most desired by the Integrators

2nd Industry Day October 2021 – 2/2 These decisions were made, in large part, to:

– Allow more flexibility and creativity as to how 3rd party vendors would integrate the technology into RIIDs and achieve economies, efficiencies, cost-savings, and leverage 3rd party expertise.

Latest Situation

Delays in recapitalization of RIIDs allowed continued development and optimization of the CDM’s in the presently active two follow-on programs led by RMD and BTI.

Will present status and demos today regarding the CDM’s status and performance

White Papers Five White Paper Topics have been created:

1. Production and Availability: Supply Chain and Scaling-Up Production Capabilities for TlBr Material and Crystals

2. Stability (long term, “room temperature” operation)

3. Temperature Dependence of TlBr Gamma-Ray Crystals & Associated Electronics (-30C to +50C)

4. TlBr References (Publications)

5. Intellectual Property (IP) - one WP each for Pixelated and CFG

These presently are being updated as necessary.

Multi-Prong, Parallel Approach to R&D Development:

11 thrust areas (see diagram) 27 contracts/IAAs 4 SBs, 2 Nat’l Labs, 3 Universities In FY 2023 will Transition from R&D to Acquisition Division (THOR)

History of CWMD’s TlBr Development

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020-

Initial Development of High Performance TlBr Crystals

Ternary Versions to Improve Properties (Reduce Polarization & Harden Material)

Impurities: Raw Mat’l & purification

Identify cause of polarization; Develop Mitigation Methods

Development Ionic Semiconductor Model to Guide Development

Post-Growth Processing Optimization (2 efforts)

TlBr RIIDs (2 efforts)

First TlBr Rad Pager Prototype (2 efforts)

Cooled Operation

Stable Room Temp Operation

Defect Engineering

• With significant support, CZT made steady progress over 30 years

• Advances in TlBr, with CWMD support, over the past ~10 years

Development Timeline Compared to CZT

Barrett & Barber Amman & Luke McGregor

CdTe CdZnTe

Hughes Tyco - RMD

AcroRad Doty

Z. He Bolotnikov

H3D Redlen

FLIR

Kromek & Others

1950 1970 1990 2000 2005 2010 2020

TlBr Hofstadter RMD Hitomi

Owens

RMD, BTI, LLNL,

Umich, BNL, H3D

(sporadic efforts)

Two Approaches to Crystal Design/Readout

Each approach has its pros & cons Too early to say which is better, but Each may have its own application spaces

Pixilated Arrays Multichannel readout

PS-CFG Arrays Multichannel readout

Course pixelation:”egg-crate” Fine (variable) pixelation: Position Sensitivity via side electrodes

Example for RMD’s “Pixelated” Approach:

Basic Design Approach

Crystals Packaged Crystals

(Primitive CDM)

Full-Up CDM:

Packaged crystal with front end electronics

RIID

Prototype not funded in present contracts

One final analog design already used for CZT

(accommodates 4 crystals:

4” x 2.1” x 2.1”

Benchtop prototype leveraging existing detector housing

Version 1

Version 2

Old Technology vs New Technology “Not your father’s ” traditional technology “Traditional” Single-Element Scintillator-based RIID with analog pulse processing:

New Multi-Channel Digital Processing: (Generic Diagram – not necessarily exactly complete or applicable to each approach)

Multi-channel means 121+ for 11x11 array, or ≤ 96+ for CFG 4x4 array ASICs important to reduce size/weight/power of electronics

TlBr Module

CSA

ASIC

Charge pulse

Gamma Spectra

Processor Radio- Isotope

Identification

Digitized waveform γ ray

FPGA

fast

ADC

Trigger Calibration & Signal

Processing

Scintillator PMT/SiPM

Charge pulse

CSA

Voltage amplitude

Shaper

Gamma Spectra

Pk. hold

CSA – Charge-sensitive preamplifier, ADC – Analog to Digital Converter

Optical pulse

ProcessorADC Processor

Aj

IP – Some high-level comments The IP White Papers describe ordinary supplier relationships in which the integrator will have the right to integrate and operate the full-up CDM, or components thereof, into its detector, but will not gain IP in the underlying method of fabrication, design of the CDM components, and other trade secrets

Each of the two CDM approaches relies on a sequence of technologies being transferred from one team member organization to another, each with its own IP rights

3rd Party Integrators can, in principle, pull technology from anywhere along this technology transfer chain

E.g., for CFGs:

Technology pulled by Integrators from any point along the technology chain would only deal with licensing from that single point, and there would be no further licensing burden on the Integrator from the other team member organizations that have supplied IP-protected technology to that single point

BTIBNLRMD

Individual

PSCFG

devices

Arrays of PSCFG devices with front-end electronics

Complete Full- Up CDMs with software

Integrator A Integrator B Integrator C

TlBr-based PRD/SPRD Prototypes produced in prior efforts

Two CWMD SBIR efforts which ended a few years ago resulted in two versions of prototypes

Both utilized simple planar TlBr devices RMD, Inc.

Capesym, Inc.

Presently, same two contractors are designing and building more aggressive versions of SPRDs in SBIR efforts

Questions?

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

Questions?

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Thallium-Bromide HPRDS Objective Resolution (THOR)

Karin Clarkson Portfolio Manager for Small-Scale Programs

THOR Program Manager / Acquisitions Division

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) U.S. Department of Homeland Security

7 February 2023

2Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

THOR Objectives CWMD seeks to position Thallium Bromide (TlBr) solutions to compete in the future next generation Radioisotope Identification Device (RIID) acquisition programs.

The THOR Program’s approach is to work with industry partners to integrate the detector material technology into detector prototype form factors suitable for testing in a laboratory environment and validating in an operationally representative environment.

3Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

TlBr Background Thallium Bromide (TIBr) based technology has a potential to offer

HPGe-comparable performance at a Scintillator-based RIID cost and greatly reduce the operational burden.

The THOR Program is focused on integrating the TlBr-based Core Detector Modules (CDMs) developed by the CWMD R&D Division into RIID prototypes and transitioning the TlBr technology from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 to a TRL of 6/7 and positioning it to participate in future RIID acquisitions.

4Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

TlBr Detectors – Current State and Benefit Summary

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

Benefit Comment

Energy Resolution (ER)

• ER of ~2.0% (at 662 keV) is better than the best traditional COTS scintillators (~4 to7% ER)

• Results in a Basic Handheld having the capability comparable to a ~$100k High Purity Germanium

(HPGe) handheld detector for a faction of the weight, size, power requirements, and cost

High Efficiency

• Less material volume required results in less cost

• Improved Efficiency increases the probability of detection and identification

Lower Cost

• Compared to a HPGe Advanced Handheld, TlBr will provide comparable performance at approximately 1/10th the cost (material cost not RIID cost)

Reduced Operational Burden

• Higher ER results in accurate radionuclide identification:

o Lower false alarms o Lower nuisance alarms o Less LSS referrals, when they do occur, a quicker and higher confidence in the result

Semi-conductor Material

• Lower power requirements result in longer battery life

• Material is not hygroscopic; no need to hermetically seal

Lower Weight and Volume

• Lower detector size and power (i.e., less battery capability required) could result in a significantly reduced weight

• Allows for smaller and more robust RIIDs

TlBr-based technology has a potential to offer HPGe-comparable performance at Scintillator-based RIID cost and greatly reduced operational burden

5Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Acquisition Division Objectives for Next- Generation Equipment

CWMD’s objective is to acquire higher performing detection and identification devices (RIIDs and other form factors) at a lower cost

• Increase operational efficiency: faster detection and identification times; reduced operational weight and size

• Decrease lifecycle costs: less than overall cost of existing RIIDs (Capital and sustainment)

• Increase reliability: more ruggedized for operational conditions

• Increase per unit availability: retain calibration/stabilization longer

• Increase lifecycle: Modular design to enable effective sustainment/upgrading

CWMD needs to work with industry to achieve these goals

6Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

THOR Acquisition Approach

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

Open Broad Agency Announcement (OBAA)

• CWMD plans on using an Open Broad Agency Announcement (OBAA) to solicit proposals for RIID integration

• Plan to award up to 3 contracts for RIID/CDM Integration and prototyping o Non-CDM-developers to acquire CDMs or subassemblies through vendor-to-vendor agreements o Require offeror teams include companies with manufacturing track record o Each offeror will propose a design using Pixelated or CFG CDM o Contracts to include funding for vendor SNM testing

Two-Phase project structure

• Phase 1: Breadboard development

• Phase 2: Integrated TlBr RIID prototype development and delivery for testing

• Conduct Government Testing and Operational Demonstration

• Conduct THOR Prototype TRL Assessment

Post-THOR: If TlBr solution is to compete in the next-generation RIID procurement, then the vendors need to fund the development from TRL6/7 prototypes into a fully-compliant RIID solutions.

7Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Test and Evaluation Strategy

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

T&E team to peer review industry test plans, procedures and reports for vendor demonstrations and tests.

The Government will conduct prototype criteria testing at a Government selected test facility to demonstrate a TRL 6.

– TRL assessment conducted by T&E in-house and/or by TRB Independent Review

Team

An operational demonstration of the prototypes will also be conducted, to demonstrate a TRL 7.

Tailored evaluation metrics and Test Strategy to focus on high-priority requirements and Isotopes identified as the isotopes of interest by the BHH Program.

8Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

THOR Criteria

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

THOR Criteria Traceability Matrix (CTM) published 30 March 2021

• SAM.gov Notice ID: RWRD-21-0026

(https://sam.gov/opp/898093f93d9a4604886735135ae1d5cd/view)

THOR Criteria are divided into two subsets:

• “Prototype” Criteria (30) – forming the foundation for use in THOR testing, and

• “Deployment” Criteria (32) – designed for production version RIID. These are not considered or evaluated as part of THOR.

THOR CTM contains four (4) criteria designated to be “Future KPPs”, including:

• CR-01: Gamma Detection

• CR-02: Neutron Detection (“Deployment” Criterion)

• CR-16: Radionuclide Library

• CR-17: PID Unshielded https://sam.gov/opp/898093f93d9a4604886735135ae1d5cd/view

9Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

CR # Descriptor TADI* CR-01 Gamma Detection** Test (Government) CR-03 Modify Threshold Demo (Vendor) CR-04 Gamma Energy Range Demo (Government) CR-05 Exposure Rate Range Test (Vendor) CR-06 Exposure Rate Accuracy Test (Government) CR-09 Safety Alarm Test (Government) CR-10 Settable Safety Level Demo (Vendor) CR-11 Gamma False Alarm Test (Government) CR-13 Localize Demo (Government) CR-16 Radionuclide Library** Inspection (Vendor) CR-17 PID Unshielded** Test (Government)

CR-18 PID shielded Test (Government) CR-19 PID HEU Test (Government) CR-20 PID WGPu Test (Government) CR-21 PID DU Test (Government) CR-22 PID Multiple Isotopes Test (Government)

CR # Descriptor TADI CR-24 Unidentified Demo (Vendor) CR-25 ID Within 2 Min Test (Government) CR-29 ID Confidence Demo (Vendor) CR-30 Energy Resolution Test (Government) CR-31 Store Files Inspect (Vendor) CR-33 Transmit Files Demo (Government) CR-34 Data Record Info Demo (Government) CR-35 Transfer to Ancillary Device Demo (Vendor) CR-36 Transmit Method Demo (Vendor) CR-37 Display Demo (Vendor) CR-42 Size Demo (Government) CR-43 Weight Demo (Government) CR-45 Temperature Ramp Test (Government)

CR-53 Self Calibrate Demo (Government)

THOR Prototype Criteria

(*) TADI = Test, Analysis, Demonstration, Inspection Note: Test procedures have not yet been developed (**) – Future KPP

10Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Tentative THOR Timeline

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

TlBr R&D: CDM Development

Integration: THOR

FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

CDM Completion (Mar 2023)

Mid-Term Review (Jan 2023)

Industry Day

Phase 1 Preliminary Prototype

Review (Est. Oct 2024)

Phase 1 (Breadboard Development)

Vendor In- House Testing

ESIS

(Jan 2023) C-ARB OBAA Topic Approval

(Mar 2023)

OBAA

Solicitation Posted (Mar 2023)

Contract Awards (Aug 2023)

Proposals Due (May 2023)

Government Test

(TRL 6) &

Operational Demo (TRL 7) TRL Review

(Est Sep 2025)

MS-3

(Est Jul 2025)

Phase 2 Final Prototype Review

(Est Jun 2025)

Phase 2 (Prototype RIID Integration)

~12 months

~9 months

11Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Radiation Monitor Devices, Inc. (RMD) and Bubble Technology Industries, Inc. (BTI) have conducted the TIBr R&D work under a BAA agreement which includes the development of Core Detector Modules (CDMs) There is no plan for providing CDMs as Government Furnished

Equipment Potential THOR integration vendors may elect to team with RMD or BTI as part of their proposals or purchase CDMs, but are not required to do so.

12Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Challenges & Concerns

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

TlBr Technology Availability

• Vendor-to-vendor agreements are Government-preferred method for establishing non-CDM-developers’ access to initial and optimized versions of CDMs and technical support

• Vendors input on the advantages and disadvantages of this approach is requested

Government Participation and IP Rights

• CWMD plans to fund the RIID integration efforts to lessen the industry technology transition risks

• Intellectual property (IP) rights established by the contract and vendor-to-vendor agreements

Contract type

– Cost Plus Fixed Fee

13Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Tentative Deliverables Overview

Innovation * Integrity * Excellence

• Phase 1 (“Breadboard” Initial Prototype Development) o Monthly Status Updates (including progress, schedule, risk updates) o Breadboard Prototype Test Plan / Test Report o Results of the vendor initial testing/evaluation (data files and quick-look briefing including a demo) o Final Phase 1 Review Brief / Technical Report including Lessons Learned o Preliminary design documentation of a TlBr RIID o Comprehensive accounting of all funds expended o Any additional information as requested by the CWMD PM

• Phase 2 (TlBr RIID Prototype Integration and Delivery) o Monthly Status Updates (including progress, schedule, risk updates) o Final THOR Prototype Test Plan / Test Report o Final Phase 2 Review Brief with Prototype Demonstration o Support CWMD Prototype Review / Government Test Readiness Review o Final Technical Report including Lessons Learned o Final THOR RIID Prototype design documentation and evaluation report o Commercialization Plan o Three (3) copies of the THOR RIID Prototype for Government testing o Algorithm replay tool o Comprehensive accounting of all funds expended o Any additional information as requested by the CWMD PM

14Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Outlook for Next-Gen Procurement All Basic Handheld RIIDs and Advanced handhelds will need to be replaced in the future.

CWMD plans to leverage performance requirements derived from

TIBr into Next Gen RIID but not specify the actual material selection.

TIBr has many attributes CWMD would like to capture in the next generation RIID and looking to transition this into being a commercial product.

It is expected that CWMD will require around 2,000 Next Gen

RIIDs. Timing of this is not currently known.

15Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Desired Outcome An integrated THOR RIID that demonstrates the feasibility of a TIBr RIID to meet Next Gen RIID requirements

– Throughout the THOR RIID prototype development process, CWMD anticipates

• Vendors providing periodic status updates and deliverables as outlined in the Deliverables

Overview slide

– At the THOR RIID Integration conclusion, CWMD anticipates a delivery of

• Final THOR RIID prototype design documentation

• Three THOR prototype RIIDs/detectors copies and Replay Tool to support Government testing and Technology Readiness Level assessment

• Description of vendor’s THOR RIID commercialization strategy including the initial design of an anticipated commercialized system

– Government testing outcome

• Government test and operational demonstration results as well as the TRL assessment results will be shared with the respective industry partners to support further TlBr-based system development

16Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

UNCLASSIFIED // FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

National Targeting Center

Laboratories and Scientific Services – Teleforensic Center (LSS-TC)

Handheld Radiation Isotope Identification Device (RIID) – CBP’s Operational Perspective

Subrata Chakraborty, Ph.D.

Physical Scientist (CBRNE)

Mission of Teleforensic Center Reachback Support

One of CBP’s mission is to facilitate legitimate trade and travel across the nation’s border and across state-lines

The radiological wing of the Teleforensic Center (TC) works as scientific reachback support to help the CBP front line Officers and Border Patrol Agents in adjudicating radiological alarms and mitigate any threats

The adjudication process uses data from the Portal Monitors (RPM) and Radiation Isotope Identification Devices

(RIID)

The analysts at the TC encounter several hundred spectra from RIID devices from the Ports of Entry (POE), Border Patrol Checkpoints and overseas operational locations

Use of RIID in Reachback Support The first and foremost reason to use a RIID for radiological alarm adjudication is to quickly identify the radioisotope(s) responsible for the alarm.

To keep the flow of traffic across the land borders/ seaports/ border patrol check points/ airports, the alarm adjudication process should be smooth and quick, without compromising the goal to detect threat in a timely manner. There are a few areas we identify where there is chance of potential improvement in the next generation RIID:

Easy Operation

False ID Minimization

Workability at a High Dose Environment

A TlBr-based RIID has great promise to satisfy these requirements!

rmd.dynasil.com

TlBr Semiconductor Detector Summary

• Background and recent developments

M. Dallimore, RMD President

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) TlBr RIID Industry Day, Feb. 07, 2023 (via video telecon)

RMD and BTI, and their sub-contractors, have conducted the R&D work being discussed today via prior-years funding from CWMD (and DNDO) under BAA solicitations agreements

CWMD plans for their continued involvement in the present phase of the project so as to leverage their knowledge and development of TlBr-based CDMs

Potential vendors may team with, learn from, form agreements with, etc., these entities as part of their potential future proposals, but are not required to do so

Need for hand-held radio-isotope identification instruments

• Gamma ray spectra

Room-temperature semi-conductors ideal:

• High resolution gamma-ray spectra

• High stopping power and large photopeak

• Compact and low power

Semiconductors for handheld RIIDs

Why TlBr?

• High density (7.56 g/cm3) and high atomic number elements (ZTl = 81, ZBr = 35) give high sensitivity.

• Low congruent melting point (480°C) allows large volume Bridgman and other melt-based crystal growth processes to be used

• Cubic crystal structure simplifies crystal growth and device processing

• With sufficient purification and annealing, improving charge transport properties (µτ) of TlBr to a level that is comparable with CZT and CdTe possible (>10-2 cm2/V): Good charge collection as detector size (length) increases for a given operating bias.

• High electrical resistivity (>1010 Ω-cm) limits dark current and noise as detector area increases

• Electron-only collection schemes such as capacitive Frisch grids and small-pixel effect designs developed for CZT devices implemented on TlBr devices

Comparison of TlBr and CZT TlBr CZT

Melting point (°C) 480 > 1100 Band gap (eV) 2.68 1.7

Conduction type Mixed ionic/electronic electronic

Resistivity @ 24 °C (Ω cm) 1010 - 1011 1010 - 1011

Density (g/cm3) 7.5 6 Zeff 74 50

Photoelectric cross section at 662 keV (cm2/g)

30 x 10-3 8 x 10-3

Physical Rigidity Plastic Brittle Electron µτ (cm2/V) > 10-2 > 10-2

Electron µ (cm2/V-sec) 30-50 1350 Electron τ (µsec) > 300 10 Hole µτ (cm2/V) 4 x 10-4 < 10-5

Best ∆E/E at 662 keV (%) ~ 1 ~ 0.5 Projected Cost per RIID Low Medium

TlBr Advantages in Efficiency

N42.32 Reference Radiations

Attenuation Length, mm TlBr CZT NaI CsI LaBr3

241Am - 60 keV 0.31 0.27 0.42 0.28 0.40

137Cs – 662 keV 13 23 35 29 27 60Co – 1173, 1332 keV 23 34 53 43 39 photoelectric cross section at 662 keV, normalized to NaI

10.1× 2.2× 1 2.1× 1.9×

Expect larger photopeak, relative to Compton edge, with TlBr

CZT vs TlBr Efficiency Comparison

TlBr CZT

0 400 800 x 104

Energy (keV)

C ou nt s

PP Efficiency: 0.25

5-mm Thick Devices

The photopeak efficiency is greater by more than 3x due to high Z-value & high ρ

(Depth corrected spectra)

PP Efficiency: 0.08

With significant support, CZT made steady progress over 30 years

Steady advances in TlBr, with CWMD support, over the past ~10 years

Progress Overview

CdTe CdZnTe

TlBr

Hughes Tyco - RMD

AcroRad Doty

Barrett & Barber Amman & Luke McGregor

He Bolotnikov

H3D Redlen

FLIR

Kromek & Others

Hofstadter RMD Hitomi Owens

RMD H3D

FLIR

Kromek & Others

1950 1970 1990 2000 2005 2010 2020

(sporadic)

Accelerated effort for THOR

Summarize results from planar detectors

• Demonstrated mitigation of polarization

• Demonstrated stability through cooling

• Demonstrated long term (>1 year) RT stability

• Built prototype SPRDs using planar devices

• Used for new ingot QC

Planar Detectors for TlBr Development

Polarization mitigation

150 V, -18 °C, 241Am Stable low temperature operation

Photopeak stability at RT

Planar Detectors simple construction & readout

12x12x7 mm3

TlBr Crystal Growth

TlBr resistivity ranges from 1010-1011 Ω∙cm

(µτ)e, cm2/V (µτ)h, cm2/V

TlBr (no purification)

1 x 10-6 2 x 10-7

TlBr (w purification)

> 3 x 10-2 4x10-4

• Zone refining used to purify TlBr starting materials

• Last pass of zone refining adjusted to grow crystals

• 30 mm boule diameter in photo, about ¾ filled

(μτ) describes charge collection efficiency (higher is better);

The resistivity (higher is better) quantifies the amount of “leakage current”.

TlBr Crystal Growth Scale-Up profile slices cut along ingot length approx. 45 mm subsection from much longer ingot

20x20x10 mm crystal array 11x11 elements

34 mm diameter rmd.dynasil.com 12

Pixilated Arrays Multichannel readout

Capacitive Frisch Grid (collar), CFG 2 terminal device, simple readout

RIID TlBr Detector Configurations

“Position-sensitive” with separate pads

Configurations for best energy resolution

2×2 11×11

Packaged Array

Cathode bias

RIID Performance: Gamma Spectrum & Corrections

Ga m m a

Ra y

Ev en ts

Corrections Improve Gamma Energy Resolution

• Small peak width Improves Radio-isotope Identification

Energy (keV) “Uncorrected” Anode Spectrum

Depth Corrected

(CAR)

o Depth correction and small pixel effect reduces “tail” (position dependance) Provided by Array Pixels and Cathode-to-Anode Ratio (CAR) signal o Multi-interaction correction increases peak amplitude

5×5×5 mm3

1-cm thick

Energy

Stability at Room Temperature

Longevity data on planar devices and small pixels arrays

3x3 pixel array, 1-mm pixel, 5-mm thick 137Cs raw spectra, no depth correction

22Na Spectra after 260 days

Room Temperature Stability

• Peak position vs. time o Stable

• On-going: tracking T and Bias

1-cm thick (6x6) Array (205A4) Testing at RMD: Stability (pixel #3):

uncorrected anode spectra

TPG: Tail Pulse Generator

PP: 662-keV photopeak

10/30 11/6

11/13 11/20

11/27 12/4

12/11 12/18

12/25

TPG (±FWHM)

PP (±2×HWHM)

Date

Am pl itu de

(M

CA

c ha nn el

First stability measurement of flip-chip bonded, 1-cm thick, >4×4 element array (on-going measurement)

TlBr Detector Stability at RT LLNL Work 2 × 2 array, 5-mm thick, 1.25 mm pitch array Applied electric field = 3 kV/cm FWHM <2% (662 keV) for over 386 days

1.1%

• Depth corrected

Depth-Corrected Spectrum, -1000 V

1.97%

10-mm Thick TlBr Arrays Operated at RT

Total spectrum corrected to a resolution of 1.97%

3×3 array + guard ring

Digitized waveform

Vi(ti) for an electrode

Basic Core Detector Module (CDM) Functional Blocks

TlBr Detector

ASIC

(ADC)

Charge pulses

From 121 pixel anodes

Signal Amplitude

& depth of interaction

Processor

Gamma Spectra

H3D’s Data API

ASIC – Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA – Field-Programmable Gate Array waveforms, ADC – Analog to Digital Converter

FPGA

γ rays

Histogram:

Number of

Events vs. Energy https://h3dgamma.com/s100.php https://h3dgamma.com/s100.php

Pixelated CDM (Version 1):

Progression

1 Lab CDM (one 6×6, 1cm thick, 1.72 mm pitch)

1 Sx CDM (one 9×9, 1cm thick, 1.72 mm pitch)

2 Sx CDMs (two 6×6, 1cm thick, 1.72 mm pitch)

8”

6” 3.5”

11×11 TlBr crystals, 1 cm thick, 1.72 mm thick

• To improve sensitivity

Murray: Energy Spectrum after Depth Correction

• Single pixel events only, Additional corrections increase photopeak amplitude

Data from 11 x 11 Array

Gamma Energy (keV)

Co un ts

Best pixel better than 2%

5 mm thick Array, 1 mm pitch

Crystal size for FOM target: margins

Photopeak Efficiency: ϵpp (fraction, between 0 and 1) Photopeak width: FWHM (%)

FOM =

A – Area of largest face ϵp – Photo-peak efficiency FWHM – Photo-peak width %

Unit Crystal Crystal Size Crystal Vol. (cc) ϵp (662 keV)

662 keV

FWHM (%)

FOM

(cm2/%)

FLIR R400 NaI 2”dia.×1.5” 72 0.16 7 0.46

R500-HiRES LaBr3 1.5”dia.×1.5” 43 0.16 3 0.60

Allegan* TlBr 2×(2×2×1 cc) 8 0.33 2.5 0.51

21 cm cm cm

* Prototypes

Scale-up thickness and size for increasing sensitivity at 662 keV (137-Cs):

• Goal is 11x11 pixels, 1-cm thick (662 keV FOM performance - historical)

UM: 11x11 Array, 1 cm thick in CDM

Replace Alcona: 212A2(R)

1 kV bias, 2 Dec 2022

FWHM = 2.4%

>90% “Good” Pixels

X

Y

Z

PS-CFG TlBr Detector

X

Y

1cm

PS-CFG:

Promising Results

PS-CFG: Position-sensitive capacitive Frisch grid

Summary

• TlBr being developed as an efficient and lower cost alternative to CZT

• Considerable progress made in last 10+ years of CWMD funded intense research efforts

• Stability of thin planar devices as well as thicker pixel arrays demonstrated

• High energy resolution <2% demonstrated with 10+ mm thick pixel arrays as well as CFGs

• Flip-chip bonded 11 x 11 TlBr arrays (1.72 mm pitch, 10 mm thick) have been fabricated

• Semiconductor detectors need multi-channel readout electronics to generate best performance

Acknowledgement

This work has been supported by the US Department of Homeland Security, CWMD, under contracts 70RDND18C00000019, HSHQDN-16-C-00024, and 70RWMD22C00000023. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government.

Pixelated TlBr Detector Updates CWMD Contract 70RWMD22C00000023

POP 9/26/2018 – 3/31/2022

Summary of Technical Achievements and Programmatic Status

Since Oct 2021 Industry Day

• TlBr Supply

• Sx-series Core Detector Modules (CDMs)

• Pixelated TlBr CDM Test Results

• Technical Achievements

• Status

• Future

Updates

RMD and BTI, and their sub-contractors, have conducted the R&D work being discussed today via prior-years funding from CWMD (and DNDO) under BAA solicitations agreements

CWMD plans for their continued involvement in the present phase of the project so as to leverage their knowledge and development of TlBr-based CDMs

Potential vendors may team with, learn from, form agreements with, etc., these entities as part of their potential future proposals, but are not required to do so

• Numerous material vendors

• 4 Furnaces continuously operating

• Dicing lapping and polishing

• Wrapping and packaging

• Testing

TlBr Supply

TlBr Array

PS-CFG

rmd.dynasil.com 5

RIID TlBr Detector Designs Pixilated Arrays

Multichannel readout

Smaller arrays also fabricated

2 cm x 2 cm x 1 cm

Capacitive Frisch Grid (collar), CFG 2 terminal device, simple readout

0.5 cm x 0.5 cm x 1.2 cm

Based on H3D’s S-series: Digital ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) Uses TlBr Pixelated Arrays: upgrade to 1-cm thick 11×11 arrays (1.72 mm pitch)

• 1 Lab CDM, 1 Sx CMD with 1 array, and 1 Sx CDM with 2 arrays

Sx-series Core Detector Modules

Progression

1 Lab CDM (one 6×6, 1cm thick, 1.72 mm pitch)

1 Sx CDM (one 9×9, 1cm thick,

1.72 mm pitch)

2 Sx CDMs (two 6×6, 1cm thick,

1.72 mm pitch)

21 cm cm cm

Sx-series CDM

CDM Test Results: 1 cm thick Arrays

S100x (9x9) Alger (171AS5) Depth-Corrected Single Pixel Spectra

• Measured at UM

• Good performance

Technical Approach

• Scaling-up to 11×11 arrays: 2×2×1 cc

• Additional Testing o Array Stability o Bias Cycling o High Bias Operation

• Accelerated Conditioning

On-going measurements of flip-chip bonded 1-cm thick (6x6) Array (205A4) Testing at RMD: Stability (pixel #3): analysis of uncorrected anode spectra 10/30

11/6 11/13

11/20 11/27

12/4 12/11

12/18 12/25

TPG (±FWHM)

PP (±2×HWHM)

Date

Am pl itu de

(M

CA

c ha nn el

) TPG: Tail-pulse generator

PP: 662-keV Photopeak

Technical Achievements

1-cm thick (2 × 2 cm2): 11 × 11 Arrays, 1.72 mm Pixels

Arrays for (Core Detector Module)

H3D Sx-series (Alger) CDM Contains One 11×11 Array (1-cm thick)

Baseline for CDM

5-mm thick array

△E/E = 2.7%

FWHM

10-mm thick array

PS-

CFGs best pixel 1.7%

11×11 Arrays

Programmatic Status

• Sx-series CDMs with 1-cm thick TlBr Arrays “delivered”

• Promising Results from PS-CFG CDM

• Scaling-up Array Size

• Mid-term Review Recently Held

In March 2023:

o 1 Lab CDM (11×11 Array, 1 cm thick 1.72 mm pitch) o 1 Sx CMD with 1 array (11×11 Array, 1 cm thick 1.72 mm pitch) o 1 Sx CDM with 2 arrays (11×11 Array, 1 cm thick 1.72 mm pitch) o Other Sx CDMs with “smaller” crystals

© 2023 Bubble Technology Industries

TlBr Industry Day February 7th, 2023

Development of Capacitive Frisch Grid TlBr Core Detector Modules for RIIDs

70RWMD22C00000024

• BTI and RMD, and their sub-contractors, have conducted the R&D work being discussed today via prior-years funding from CWMD (and DNDO) under BAA solicitations agreements

– CWMD plans for their continued involvement in the present phase of the project so as to leverage their knowledge and development of TlBr-based CDMs

– Potential vendors may team with, learn from, form agreements with, etc., these entities as part of their potential future proposals, but are not required to do so

Core Detector Module

• The CFG Core Detector Module (CDM) is based on an array of TlBr devices

• The array of position-sensitive capacitive Frisch-grid (PS-CFG) devices is read out using ASIC-based front-end electronics developed by BNL

– The use of an ASIC reduces size, weight, and power of the overall system

• Spectral data are processed in real time using firmware, software, and electronics developed by BTI

• The CDM combines RMD’s TlBr technology with BNL’s front-end electronics and BTI’s expertise in analysis and system design

BTIBNLRMD

Individual

PS-CFG devices Arrays of

PS-CFG devices with front-end electronics

CDMs with software

CDM Prototype

Detector Stack with ASIC

This CDM is a bench-top system designed to advance development of TlBr RIIDs

PS-CFG Devices

Position-sensitive CFG devices correct non-uniformity caused by crystal defects

X

Y

Z• Four position-sensing pads are used to measure the interaction location for each gamma-ray event

• The anode, cathode, and four pad signals are recorded for each CFG device

• Anode and cathode signals provide Z (depth) coordinates for 1-D correction

• The pad signals provide X-Y coordinates

• Signals from two orthogonal pads are sufficient to evaluate the X-Y position

• Full 3-D event location in the crystal can be calculated to provide 3-D correction

• The 3-D corrected response is used to optimize the energy resolution

PS-CFG Advantages

• Compared to a Basic RIID using (e.g.) NaI

1. Superior energy resolution will enable faster and more accurate detection and identification

2. Gamma detection efficiency (stopping power) is superior to that of NaI, which will enable more sensitive and/or smaller RIIDs

3. Redundancy/modularity of the array approach: if one element of the PS-CFG array fails, the system will continue to function with slightly reduced capability

4. Directional source location: a 4 × 4 array of PS-CFG devices will accurately measure the bearing to the source, enabling rapid localization

• Compared to an Advanced RIID using HPGe

1. A TlBr PS-CFG RIID is expected to cost significantly less than HPGe RIIDs

2. TlBr does not require mechanical or cryogenic cooling; this will lead to reduced size, weight, power, and complexity

3. Redundancy/modularity of the array approach allows for fault tolerance

4. Can provide directional source location

Results with BNL 3-D Corrections

3-D corrected results are shown with a test pulse signal Noise from the current readout electronics contributes to the measured energy resolution

CFG TlBr devices can provide high spectral resolution < 1% FWHM at 662 keV

4 × 4 Array of PS-CFG Devices

4 × 4 array of TlBr PS-CFG devices on detector board;

each TlBr crystal has dimensions 5 × 5 × 12 mm3

ASIC-Based Front-End Electronics

• A waveform-digitizing ASIC has been proposed to read signals from arrays of PS-CFG TlBr devices

• The AVG3 ASIC leverages earlier work performed at BNL, which developed the analog AVG1 and AVG2 ASICs for CZT

• As a first step towards the fully digital AVG3, an analog AVG3-Dev ASIC has been designed and implemented

• This AVG3-Dev uses a bank of optimized charge-sensitive amplifiers (CSAs)

• It is coupled to commercial digitizers

• The AVG3-Dev provides a basis for the

CDM prototype

• The AVG3 is not currently being pursued

Wire-bonded ASIC; the die size is 8.2 mm × 1.8 mm

AVG3-Dev ASIC design

CDM Prototype

• The CDM prototype includes

– 16 PS-CFG devices; each PS-CFG device is based on a TlBr crystal with dimensions

5 × 5 × 12 mm3

– An (intermediate) AVG3-Dev ASIC

– Motherboard with FPGA

– Single-board computer (SBC) running 3-D corrections

– Mechanical enclosure

– Data transfer using Ethernet

– Connection to AC power

• The output of the CDM is a data stream over Ethernet, which includes the corrected energy spectrum

CDM with AVG3-Dev ASIC

Detector Array (16 PS-CFG TlBr

Devices)

AVG3-Dev

ASIC

Analog-to-Digital Convertors

(ADCs)

FPGA

(Digital Shaping) SBC

Analog Signals

Packaged Waveforms

3-D Corrections Build Spectra

Analog Pulses

ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array SBC: Single Board Computer

The AVG3-Dev ASIC is an intermediate front-end solution that provides an environment for hardware and software development

Detector Stack and CDM Prototype

Detector Stack Dimensions

Dimensions are in inches

Bench-Top Prototype Dimensions

Dimensions are in inches

11.78”

3.04”

5.78”

Status: Detector Stack and FPGA

Status: CDM Enclosure and SBC

The SBC and associated circuit cards are at BTI and ready for integration with the detector stack and FPGA/motherboard, which are currently at BNL

CDM Summary

• A large number (> 100) of 5 × 5 × 12 mm3

PS-CFG TlBr devices have been fabricated for the initial CDM prototypes

• The spectroscopic performance of these devices has been assessed

• 4 × 4 arrays of PS-CFG devices have been assembled

• Integration and optimization of electronics, firmware, and software is in progress at BNL and BTI

• Two CDM prototypes will be fabricated and characterized as part of the current CWMD R&D project

Acknowledgement

This work has been supported by the US Department of Homeland Security, CWMD, under competitively awarded contract 70RDND18C00000024 and contract 70RWMD22C00000024. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government.