Readout electronics for multianode photomultiplier tubes with pad matrix anode layout

We have developed economical readout concept for multianode photomultiplier tubes which have a matrix type pad anode layout. This style of anode layout is used in many position sensitive photomultiplier tubes such as R5900-M64 and recently available flat panel H8500 PMT from Hamamatsu Photonics, as well as the Burle PLANACO™ 85011 PSPMT. All these PMTs have a matrix of 8×8 anode pads requiring signal readout from 64 outputs. The number of readout channels quickly increases in systems utilizing many of these PMTs. In order to reduce the number of active channels to be read we have employed a two-dimensional decoupling resistive matrix circuit. A decoupling resistive matrix was designed to convert the 2-D area readout into a projective two single coordinate readout, and, thereby, to simplify readout electronics. In the case of PMT array, the circuit permits ganging together signals from several of the photomultipliers in the same way as done in the cross-wire photomultiplier tube anode layout. We tested this readout concept in several compact gamma cameras designed and built at Jefferson Lab. The largest size array consists of 3×4 (12 total) of H8500 photomultiplier tubes with 768 individual anode pad outputs, which were decoupled into 32x+24y (56 total) readout channels, a reduction by factor - 14.