Diode readout electronics for beam intensity and position monitors for FELs

LCLS uses Intensity-Position Monitors (IPM) to measure intensity and position of the FEL x-ray pulses. The primary beam passes through a silicon nitride film and four diodes, arranged in quadrants, detect the backscattered x-ray photons. The position is derived from the relative intensity of the four diodes, while the sum provides beam intensity information. In contrast to traditional synchrotron beam monitors, where diodes measure a DC current signal, the LCLS beam monitors have to cope with the pulsed nature of the FEL, which requires a large single shot dynamic range. A key component of these beam monitors is the readout electronics. The first generation of beam monitors showed some limitations. A new scheme with upgraded electronics, firmware and software was implemented resulting in a more robust and reliable measuring tool.