Device and method for detecting radiation particles

1. A device for detecting radiation particles, comprising:

at least one sensor configured to sense radiation particles, and to supply an electrical pulse when the at least one sensor is traversed by at least one radiation particle; and

at least one detection circuit including a voltage-controlled oscillator to which said electrical pulse originating from the at least one sensor is supplied as a control voltage,

wherein the voltage-controlled oscillator is a ring oscillator.

2. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage-controlled ring oscillator is configured using a set point voltage such that a period corresponding to a natural oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled ring oscillator in the absence of the control voltage is less than a minimum duration of the electrical pulse supplied by the at least one sensor.

3. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage-controlled ring oscillator has an odd number of logic inverters arranged in series, and a feedback loop connecting an output of a last logic inverter of the series to an input of a first logic inverter of the series.

4. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 3 , wherein each said logic inverter is a CMOS inverter having a combination of a P-channel field effect transistor and of an N-channel field effect transistor, with sources of the P-channel transistors of each said logic inverter being connected to a set point voltage and drains of the N-channel transistors of each said logic inverter being connected to a polarization voltage.

5. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of said at least one detection circuit, with each said detection circuit being calibrated to be sensitive to a predetermined energy band of radiation particles.

6. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of said at least one sensor configured to sense radiation particles arranged in a matrix, with each said sensor being associated with a corresponding detection circuit of said at least one detection circuit calibrated on a predetermined energy band of radiation particles.

7. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection circuit includes a circuit configured to analyze an output signal of the voltage-controlled ring oscillator to characterize radiation particles.

8. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor configured to sense radiation particles is a semiconductor sensor comprising a PIN diode.

9. A method for detecting radiation particles, comprising:

supplying, by at least one sensor configured to sense radiation particles, of an electrical pulse when the at least one sensor is traversed by at least one radiation particle;

transmitting the electrical pulse, as a control voltage, to a voltage-controlled oscillator of at least one detection circuit; and

analyzing an output signal of the voltage-controlled oscillator to characterize radiation particles,

wherein the voltage-controlled oscillator is a ring oscillator, and the characterization of radiation particles is carried out by an analysis of a temporal shape of the output signal of the voltage-controlled ring oscillator.

10. The method for detecting radiation particles according to claim 9 , wherein the output signal of the voltage-controlled ring oscillator analyzed is a signal indicating an instantaneous frequency of oscillation or of an average output voltage of the voltage-controlled ring oscillator.

11. The device for detecting radiation particles according to claim 1 , wherein an output of the at least one sensor is directly connected to an input of the voltage-controlled oscillator.

12. The method for detecting radiation particles according to claim 9 , wherein said transmitting the electrical pulse from the at least one sensor as the control voltage of the voltage-controlled ring oscillator is transmitted directly from the at least sensor to the voltage-controlled ring oscillator.