A sixteen channel peak sensing ADC for singles spectra in the FERA format

To read out multi-element small X-ray detectors for X-ray fluorescence applications with synchrotron radiation one needs the capability to record multiple singles spectra for each detector element at high rates. We have developed a sixteen channel 11 bit peak sensing ADC in a CAMAC module. We use the FERA readout bus to place the data into a commercially available histogramming module developed to generate multiple histograms from FERA ADCs. The sixteen channels digitize shaped pulses from the detectors without external gating. The digitizing time is 8 /spl mu/sec, the peak acquisition time is /spl ges/2 /spl mu/sec. The module contains a LIFO to permit block transfers in order to minimize dead times associated with the readout. There is a common CAMAC controlled analog threshold for noise suppression and a 16 bit mask to enable or disable individual ADCs. Differential nonlinearity is less than +8%/-4%. /spl gamma/-ray spectra collected using these ADCs are presented.