A new position-sensitive photon detector based on an imaging silicon pixel array (ISPA-tube)

A new position-sensitive photon detector has been developed and operated for the first time. It consists of a photocathode, evaporated on an optical fibre window, confronted at 30 mm distance by a silicon chip containing 1024 pixels of 75 μm × 500 μm edges and bump-bonded to their individual readout electronics. This ISPA-tube is particularly suited for particle tracking with scintillating fibres (particle- and nuclear physics, medicine, biology, etc.) and for position-sensitive photon counting from low intensity light sources (astronomy, etc.). Examples for both kinds of application are displayed.