Design and characterization of the tPix prototype: A spatial and time resolving front-end ASIC for electron and ion spectroscopy experiments at LCLS

OVER the past two decades momentum resolving spectrometers have revolutionized electron and ion spectroscopy. Momentum spectroscopy has enabled a new class of experiments in both laser based ultrafast sciences, and x-ray spectroscopy [1]. The fundamental concept of these spectrometers is that the time-of-arrival (ToA) and position of each fragment is measured. From these data the momentum vector of each particle can be calculated. So far delay-line detectors based on a microchannel plate (MCP) and a long wire anode have been used in these spectrometers which are severely limited in their multi-hit capability and therefore not suitable for experiments with fourth generation light sources such as Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).