Microelectronics Design and Precision Instrumentation

Dear colleagues,

The application of microelectronics in scientific and industrial instrumentation is ubiquitous and continuously evolving. Science and technology alike depend on the ability to measure a huge variety of phenomena and process the information associated to such measurements. All kinds of modern instruments make extensive use of microelectronics to perform such functions, which are, among others: sensors, analog front-end electronics, signal conversion, digital processing, and communication circuits.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect contributions to review the application of microelectronics in different domains of the instrumentation. Particularly, we focus on the application of microelectronics in precision instrumentation. This includes scientific instruments (from astrophysics and space missions to particle physics experiments) and related fields such as molecular and biomedical imaging and industrial applications of multispectral imagers and radiation detector systems. Those instruments are designed to detect from microwaves (meV) to very-high-energy particles (>100 TeV). These are demanding applications that impose stringent requirements on the readout systems in terms of noise, speed, density, and environmental operating conditions (e.g., radiation, vacuum, temperature, etc.).

The goal is to create a well-balanced collection of papers that will help to map the application of microelectronics design in instruments in various application areas and also identify the perspectives and open challenges for future development. This ample review intends to simulate cross-fertilization and to help to identify synergies between different techniques.

We invite the submission of contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following applications of microelectronics in instrumentation:

1. Scientific instrumentation
   • Particle and nuclear detectors (e.g., pixels, trackers, calorimeters, and others)
   • Astrophysics and astro-particle physics
   • Scientific imagers (e.g., CMOS, CCD)
   • Microwave and cryogenic detectors
   • Space instrumentation
2. Industrial applications
   • Molecular and medical imaging
   • Imaging in biology
   • Security and inspection
   • Transportation and autonomous driving
   • Others: mining, geology, agriculture, etc.

Prof. David Gascon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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