Channels

Channels#

In Detectors, especially CCDs and CMOSs image sensors, the concept of channels is used to enable parallel readout of the image data. This improve readout speed and efficiency by dividing the sensor into multiple regions, each processed independently.

What is a Channel ?#

A channel refers to subdivided region of the detector array. Detectors can be split vertically, horizontally, or both, resulting in a grid of channels.

Each of these channels can be read out via a dedicated amplifier or readout node.

For example:

  • A detector split vertically into two channels will have a left and a right region.

  • A detector split horizontally into two channels will have a top and a bottom region.

  • A detector split both vertically and horizontally results in four quadrants or channels

Readout Positions#

Each channel has a readout position defined to determine the direction from which the pixel data is read.

The supported readout positions are:

  • top-left

  • top-right

  • bottom-left

  • bottom-right

These positions are essential when modeling charge transfer and readout timings, as they influence how pixels are clocked out during readout.

Example#

channels

Example with four channels.#

This figure above shows a typical configuration of a detector with four channels, each associated with its own readout node at the respective corner.

Use in simulation#

Channel configuration is critical for accurately modeling detector behaviour, for instance for the DC crosstalk and AC crosstalk models.

Example configuration snippet (YAML)#

Here’s an example of how channel configuration might appear in a YAML-based file:

geometry:
   row: 1028
   col: 1024
   channels:
     matrix: [[OP9, OP13],
              [OP1, OP5 ]]
     readout_position:
       - OP9:  top-left
       - OP13: top-left
       - OP1:  bottom-left
       - OP5:  bottom-left
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