Vertilon SIB332B User manual

User Guide
Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
SIB332B
32 Channel APD Array Interface Board
Hamamatsu S8550 series
DC-Coupled Version

User Guide
Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
Disclaimer
Vertilon Corporation has made every attempt to ensure that the information in this document is accurate and complete.
Vertilon assumes no liability for errors or for any incidental, consequential, indirect, or special damages including,
without limitation, loss of use, loss or alteration of data, delays, lost profits or savings, arising from the use of this
document or the product which it accompanies.
Vertilon reserves the right to change this product without prior notice. No responsibility is assumed by Vertilon for any
infringements of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication
or otherwise under the patent and proprietary information rights of Vertilon Corporation.
Copyright Information
© 2016 Vertilon Corporation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

SIB332B APD Interface Board S8550 Series
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
General Safety Precautions
Operate Inputs within Specified Range
To avoid electric shock, fire hazard, or damage to the product, do not apply a voltage to any input outside of its specified
range.
Electrostatic Discharge Sensitive
Electrostatic discharges may result in damage to the SIB332B. For these reasons, the SIB332B board is intended to be
operated in a user’s conductive instrument enclosure.
Do Not Operate in Wet or Damp Conditions
To avoid electric shock or damage to the product, do not operate in wet or damp conditions.
Do Not Operate in Explosive Atmosphere
To avoid injury or fire hazard, do not operate in an explosive atmosphere.

User Guide
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
Product Overview
The SIB332B APD array interface board provides the mechanical and electrical connectivity between the Hamamatsu
S8550 4 x 8 element APD array and external signal processing electronics such as Vertilon’s PhotoniQ multichannel data
acquisition systems. The S8550 is mounted to the bottom side of the SIB332B through 34 socket pins that connect the
APD array’s 32 anode signals and two common cathodes to the board. The anode signals are routed to a connector
located on the top of the board that connects to a specialized high density coaxial cable assembly. This arrangement
allows the SIB332B to be conveniently mounted directly into the user’s optical setup with the APD array facing outward
from the bottom of the PCB and the sensor interface board (SIB) cable exiting from the top. The SIB cable carries the 32
anodes from the S8550 to the PhotoniQ where the charge from each is separately integrated, digitized, and sent to a PC
for display or further signal processing. The positive high voltage bias to the APD array is supplied from an external
power supply on a high voltage cable to a dedicated connector on the SIB332B.
The various functions on the SIB332B are described in greater detail on the following pages. When necessary, refer to
the functional block diagram shown in Figure 1 below.
•Mounting board for Hamamatsu S8550 4 x 8 channel APD Array
•Provides 32 channel interface to Vertilon PhotoniQ DAQ systems
•Separate high voltage input for APD array bias
•DC Coupled inputs to PhotoniQ DAQ
•No on-board discriminators. Use SIB332 if needed
•100% compatible with Vertilon’s PhotoniQ multichannel DAQs
•No external power supply required

SIB332B APD Interface Board S8550 Series
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
Figure 1: Functional Block Diagram
VERTILON SIB332B
S8550 APD ARRAY
SENSOR INTERFACE BOARD
IN1
J1
SIB CONNECTOR
J2
OPEN
HAMAMATSU
S8550
32 ELEMENT
APD ARRAY
COMMON
CATHODE
AN01
AN02
AN32
IN2
IN32
+HV
INPUT
HIGH VOLTAGE
INTERFACE
NETWORK
50
50
50

User Guide
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
Typical Setup
In a typical setup the Hamamatsu S8550 array is plugged into the SIB332B Sensor Interface Board (SIB) which in turn
connects to a Vertilon PhotoniQ IQSP480 or IQSP580 multi-channel data acquisition system using a SIB cable. Positive
bias to the APD array is supplied and controlled by an external power supply through a specialized high voltage cable.
When triggered from an external source, the PhotoniQ integrates and digitizes the 32 charge signals from the array and
outputs a data packet to the PC over a USB connection.
Figure 2: Typical Setup
High Voltage Interface
The SIB332B employs the interface circuit shown below between the high voltage input connector, J2, and the two
cathodes to the S8550. The monitor output (HVMON) allows the high voltage bias for the APD array to be indirectly
monitored at a reduced voltage level. Voltage readings at the monitor point should be scaled by a factor of 150.
Calibration of the scale factor may be required.
Warning: The high voltage section of the SIB332B contains signals at voltage levels
that can exceed positive 500 volts. Never touch a component or signal in this area.
Figure 3: APD Array High Voltage Interface Circuit

SIB332B APD Interface Board S8550 Series
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
APD Array Anode Circuits
The 32 anode signals (AN1 – AN32) from the S8550 APD array are DC-coupled on the SIB332B to a specialized
connector (J1) referred to as the sensor interface board (SIB) connector. The SIB connector mates to a proprietary low-
noise, high density SIB cable assembly that carries the 32 anode signals on coaxial connections to a Vertilon PhotoniQ
32 channel charge integrating data acquisition system. Depending on the required speed and dynamic range, either a
PhotoniQ IQSP480 high dynamic range system or an IQSP580 high speed system can be used as the main data
acquisition unit. Figure 4 below illustrates the equivalent circuit as seen by each APD array anode. Each detector anode
is coupled to its respective transimpedance amplifier in the PhotoniQ through a 50 ohm resistor. With the common
cathode of the array supplying the high voltage bias, the negative to each detector is applied through the 50 ohm
resistors from the connection to the PhotoniQ. This voltage will normally be about +2.5V. Note, because the Hamamatsu
S8550 APD array is of the common cathode type, the current polarity to the PhotoniQ preamplifiers is into its inputs. For
this reason, the Input Polarity under the Data Configuration menu in the PhotoniQ GUI should be set to negative. See the
PhotoniQ user’s manual for more details.
Figure 4: APD Array Anode Circuits

User Guide
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
Top and Bottom Views
Figure 5: Top and Bottom Views
1. Sensor Interface Board Connector (J1) 2. High Voltage Input (J2)
3. High Voltage Section 4. S8550 Socket Pins
1
3 4 2

SIB332B APD Interface Board S8550 Series
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: [phone] /Fax: [phone] /www.vertilon.com
S8550 to PhotoniQ Mapping
The table below shows the mapping of the S8550 anodes to the PhotoniQ input channels.
S8550
Signal
PhotoniQ
Channel
S8550
Signal
PhotoniQ
Channel
S8550
Signal
PhotoniQ
Channel
S8550
Signal
PhotoniQ
Channel
A1 1 A2 9 A3 17 A4 25
B1 2 B2 10 B3 18 B4 26
C1 3 C2 11 C3 19 C4 27
D1 4 D2 12 D3 20 D4 28
E1 5 E2 13 E3 21 E4 29
F1 6 F2 14 F3 22 F4 30
G1 7 G2 15 G3 23 G4 31
H1 8 H2 16 H3 24 H4 32
Table 1: S8550 to PhotoniQ Mapping