EIGER: Extremly hIGh rate detEctoR

banner detectors.jpg

EIGER is a Single-Photon Counting (SPC) pixel detector developed at the Paul Scherrer Institut, tailored for synchrotron applications. In SPCs, the counter of a pixel increments by one when a photon interaction generates a signal that surpasses a predetermined threshold. This adjustable threshold allows background rejection, improving the sensitivity to the signals of interest. EIGER's working principle is similar to the PILATUS detector, with 5 times more pixels per unit area and a frame rate up to 100 times faster.

The Detector Group at PSI has developed multiple EIGER systems for synchrotron applications. Each EIGER module consists of 500 kPixels (75x75 µm²) with an 8x4 cm² sensitive area and is equipped with 6 FPGAs for onboard intelligence, enabling frame storage and count rate corrections before data transfer via Ethernet. These modules function as building blocks for larger systems that operate in fully parallel mode for acquisition, readout, and data transfer, with the system frame rate independent from the detector size. Notably, a 1.5M system is operational at the cSAXS beamline for wide-angle scattering, while the largest EIGER to date, a 9M system, serves small-angle scattering.

Picture of an EIGER module. The sensitive part has dimentions 8x4 cm^2.
Picture of the 1.5M EIGER detector, consisting of three modules. The acquisition and readout are carried out in parallel with no effect on the frame rate of larger systems.
  • Pixel size 75x75 µm2
  • Noise: depending on settings, 70-200 e- (250-700 eV)
  • Sensitive to energies > 2.5 keV
  • Pixel to pixel threshold inhomogeneities: 70-150 eV
  • Counter depth: configurable in 4/8/12 bit mode.
  • Summing frames on board allows 32 bit depth counter
  • Continuous applications possible: 4 µs dead time between frames.
  • Frame rate: up to
    • 23 kHz in 4 bit, burst mode,
    • 7 kHz in 12 bit, burst mode
    • 2 kHz continuous, 12 bit, 10 Gb Ethernet
    • 250 Hz continuous, 12 bit, 1 Gb Ethernet
  • Count rate capabilities: 0.2-0.7 MHz/pixel @ 90% linearity
  • Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) and ptychography
  • Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXs)
  • Protein Crystallography (PX)
  • X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS)

Results showing the performance of EIGER in ptychography can be found here. 

The plots show the linear calibration of the threshold settings as a function of the photon energy for different preamplifier gain setting. By changing the preamplifier one is sensitive to different photon energies.
Noise (measured in e-) for the different preamplifier settings. The noise is as low as 70 e- for high gains and 200 e- for lower gains.
Detected rate/pixel over incident rate/pixel. The detector becomes inefficient at high photon fluxes as the circuitry in the pixel is insensitive to the arrival of newer photons while the signal is still above threshold. The effect is more pronounced at higher gain as the signal stays longer above the threshold.
Image of a floral composition collected with the 1.5M EIGER system, flat field corrected.

Eiger_short.pdf (Copy)
  • Butcher TA, Phillips NW, Chiu CC, Wei CC, Ho SZ, Chen YC, et al.
    Ptychographic nanoscale imaging of the magnetoelectric coupling in freestanding BiFeO3
    Advanced Materials. 2024; 36(23): 2311157 (6 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202311157
    DORA PSI
  • Fröjdh E, Bergamaschi A, Schmitt B
    Single-photon counting detectors for diffraction-limited light sources
    Frontiers in Physics. 2024; 12: 1304896 (11 pp.). https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2024.1304896
    DORA PSI
  • Tinti G, Fröjdh E, van Genderen E, Gruene T, Schmitt B, de Winter DAM, et al.
    Electron crystallography with the EIGER detector
    IUCrJ. 2018; 5(2): 190-199. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252518000945
    DORA PSI
  • Zinn T, Homs A, Sharpnack L, Tinti G, Fröjdh E, Douissard P-A, et al.
    Ultra-small-angle X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy using the Eiger detector
    Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. 2018; 25(6): 1753-1759. https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577518013899
    DORA PSI
  • Tinti G, Marchetto H, Vaz CAF, Kleibert A, Andrä M, Barten R, et al.
    The EIGER detector for low-energy electron microscopy and photoemission electron microscopy
    Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. 2017; 24(5): 963-974. https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577517009109
    DORA PSI
  • Tinti G, Bergamaschi A, Cartier S, Dinapoli R, Greiffenberg D, Johnson I, et al.
    Performance of the EIGER single photon counting detector
    Journal of Instrumentation. 2015; 10(3): C03011 (8 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/10/03/C03011
    DORA PSI
  • Tinti G, Bergamaschi A, Cartier S, Dinapoli R, Greiffenberg D, Horisberger R, et al.
    Similarities and differences of recent hybrid pixel detectors for X-ray and high energy physics developed at the Paul Scherrer Institut
    Journal of Instrumentation. 2015; 10: C04043 (7 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/10/04/C04043
    DORA PSI
  • Guizar-Sicairos M, Johnson I, Diaz A, Holler M, Karvinen P, Stadler H-C, et al.
    High-throughput ptychography using Eiger: scanning X-ray nano-imaging of extended regions
    Optics Express. 2014; 22(12): 14859-14870. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.22.014859
    DORA PSI
  • Johnson I, Bergamaschi A, Billich H, Cartier S, Dinapoli R, Greiffenberg D, et al.
    Eiger: a single-photon counting x-ray detector
    Journal of Instrumentation. 2014; 9(5): C05032 (8 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/9/05/C05032
    DORA PSI
  • Dinapoli R, Bergamaschi A, Greiffenberg D, Henrich B, Horisberger R, Johnson I, et al.
    EIGER characterization results
    Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. 2013; 731: 68-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.047
    DORA PSI
  • Johnson I, Bergamaschi A, Buitenhuis J, Dinapoli R, Greiffenberg D, Henrich B, et al.
    Capturing dynamics with Eiger, a fast-framing X-ray detector
    Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. 2012; 19(6): 1001-1005. https://doi.org/10.1107/S0909049512035972
    DORA PSI
  • Radicci V, Bergamaschi A, Dinapoli R, Greiffenberg D, Henrich B, Johnson I, et al.
    EIGER a new single photon counting detector for X-ray applications: performance of the chip
    Journal of Instrumentation. 2012; 7(2): C02019 (10 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/7/02/C02019
    DORA PSI
  • Dinapoli R, Bergamaschi A, Henrich B, Horisberger R, Johnson I, Mozzanica A, et al.
    EIGER: Next generation single photon counting detector for X-ray applications
    Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. 2011; 650(1): 79-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2010.12.005
    DORA PSI
  • Lehmann EH, Tremsin A, Grünzweig C, Johnson I, Boillat P, Josic L
    Neutron imaging - detector options in progress
    Journal of Instrumentation. 2011; 6(1): C01050 (15 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/6/01/C01050
    DORA PSI
Person Position Phone Nr. Email
Dr. Lars Erik Fröjd
Scientist
+41 56 310 32 68
erik.froejdh@psi.ch