A Completely new Camera for Cryo EM

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目的总体目标是设计和构建一个基于直接检测有源像素检测器（APD）的最先进的摄像系统，为生物电子显微镜的数据直接数字记录提供一种大大改进的胶片替代品。 这样的系统将立即适用于大分子的冷冻电子显微镜（cryo-EM）并且有益于大分子的冷冻电子显微镜（cryo-EM）。新的APD将有一个非常均匀的表面和格式的2000 x2000像素在10 mu/mx 10 mu/m间距。作为直接入射电子检测器，该装置将不需要分辨率限制磷光闪烁屏。每个入射电子的信噪比将比基于CCD的相机高得多（10/01对1.1）空间分辨率也好得多（10微米，1/2最大全宽和50微米，1/100对30和200微米）该APD的读出速度也比CCD快得多（1/10秒）。Vs 1秒）。有了这个探测器，研究人员将能够快速收集数十万张图像的数据，大大提高所研究的大分子的3D结构的分辨率。虽然微电子的设计和测试成本很高，但新传感器使用标准CMOS工艺，并且可以以相当低的成本进行复制。事实上，在这个项目结束时，我们可以有足够的芯片来设置更多的探测器。APD的每个像素将具有二极管，该二极管将收集由入射电子在其通过敏感的p-外延层的通道中沉积的电荷。它将整合暴露期间收集的图表。在表格结束时，传感器阵列的内容被读出、数字化和存储。所有的集成和读出电子器件都在0.25 μ/m CMOS芯片的表面的小于1 μ/m的范围内实现，并且对入射电子是透明的，由于敏感的p-外延层位于读出电路下面并且是连续的，所以是100%。我们打算分阶段进行这项研究。在第一年，我们希望通过制作和测试许多小阵列（256 x256像素）来探索不同的设计。在第二年，我们将选择最好的设计，使和休息中等大小的芯片（526 x526像素）。在第三年，我们将制作和测试大尺寸芯片（2Kx 2K像素），并设置检测器。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this project is to design and build a state-of-the-art camera system, based on Direct Detection Active Pixel Detector (APD) to provide a vastly improved film substitute for direct digital recording of data for biological Electron Microscopy. Such a system will be immediately applicable and beneficial to cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) of macromolecules. The new APD will have an extremely uniform surface and format of 2000x2000 pixels at 10mu/mx10mu/m pitch. As a direct incident electron detector, this device will not require a resolution limiting phosphorescent scintillation screen. The signal to noise ratio for each incident electron will be much higher than the one with a CCD based camera (10/01 vs. 1.1) The spatial resolution is also much better (10 micron, full width at 1/2 maximum and 50 micron at 1/100 vs. 30 and 200 micron) The readout speed of this APD is also much faster than with a CCD (1/10 sec. Vs 1 sec). With this detector, researchers will be able to quickly gather data on hundreds of thousand of images, greatly improving the resolution of 3D structure of the studied macromolecules. While the design and testing of micro-electronics can be costly, the new sensor uses a standard CMOS process and can be reproduced rather inexpensively, As the matter of fact, at the end of this project, we could have enough chips to set up many more detectors. Each pixel of the APD will have a diode that will collect the charges deposited by an incident electron in its passage through a sensitive p-epitaxial layer. It will integrate the collected chards during and exposure period. At the conclusion of the from, the contents of the sensor array are than read out, digitized and stored. All of the integration and read out electronics are implemented within less than 1mu/m of the surface of a 0.25 mu/m CMOS chip, and are transparent to the incident electrons, is 100% due to the fact that the sensitive p-epitaxial layer lies beneath the readout circuitry and is continuous. We intend a phased approach to this research. During the first year, we would like to explore different designs by making and testing many small arrays (256x256 pixels). In the 2nd year, we will select the best design to make and rest medium size chip (526x526 pixels). In the 3rd year we will make and test the large size chip (2Kx2K pixels) and set up the detector.