A Mixed-Signal Large Dynamic Range Front-End ASIC for High Capacitance Detectors

Abstract: A 64-channel mixed-mode ASIC, suitable for particle detectors of large dynamic range and high capacitance up to hundreds of pF, is presented here. Each channel features an analogue front-end for signal amplification and filtering, and a mixed signal back-end to digitise and store the signal information. The analogue part consists of a low input-impedance programmable gain pre-amplifier based on a regulated common-gate (RCG) input stage, two shapers optimised for time and energy measurements. The back-end part mainly includes discriminators, TDCs and ADCs, which are used to process the signal and encode both the time of arrival and the charge in the input signal with a fully digital output. The programmable gain of the front-end (up to 400 fC input dynamic range) and the versatile back-end allow the readout of different gaseous detectors like GEM, MicroMEGAS and MWPC. The ASIC is designed for an event rate up to 100 kHz per channel and a power consumption less than 9 mW/channel, has been fabricated in a 110 nm CMOS technology.