Experimental behavior of a two-chip charge amplifier for high-stability spectroscopy systems

We present the first experimental characterization of an innovative two-chip detector system for X-ray spectroscopy experiments in which stability of operation is mandatory to avoid on-line calibration procedures. The system is based on a silicon drift detector and on a charge amplifier partly integrated in the detector chip. The design guidelines of both the "detector chip" produced on a high resistivity substrate and the "amplifier chip" designed in 0.8-/spl mu/m BiCMOS technology are reviewed. The proper functionality of each of the two chips and the performance of the whole system have been experimentally verified.