ALCOR: A mixed-signal ASIC for the dRICH detector of the ePIC experiment at the EIC

We present a mixed-signal ASIC, called ALCOR (A Low-power Chip for Optical sensor Readout), designed for the readout and digitization of signals from Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) in the framework of the dual-radiator RICH (dRICH) detector of the electron–Proton/Ion Collider (ePIC) experiment at the Electron–Ion Collider (EIC). ALCOR features 32 channels arranged in an 8x4 matrix. The amplifier input stage is a low impedance current conveyor based on a regulated common-gate topology. The versatile front-end is able to work with positive or negative input polarity signals and includes four gain settings and two discriminators with 6-bit DAC programmable thresholds. Each channel also incorporates quad-buffered low-power TDCs based on analogue interpolation providing precise timestamping with a 25–50 ps time bin. ALCOR is designed in a 110 nm CMOS technology and the power consumption is about 10–12 mW per channel. The ASIC has been extensively tested in the laboratory standalone and coupled to different SiPM models to assess its functionality and performance. The results have been validated in a beam test campaign with a prototype of the dRICH detector and 1280 3 × 3 mm 2 SiPM sensors.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment
Published
2024-08-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2024.169817
Citations
15
Primary Topic
Particle Detector Development and Performance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.89

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

ALCOR: A mixed-signal ASIC for the dRICH detector of the ePIC experiment at the EIC

N. Rubini, N. Agrawal, A. Bortone, R. Malaguti et al.
15 citations
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment
Particle Detector Development and Performance
9.89
article

ALCOR: A mixed-signal ASIC for the dRICH detector of the ePIC experiment at the EIC

N. Rubini, N. Agrawal, A. Bortone, R. Malaguti, S. Vallarino, A. De, L. Barion, A. Paladino, R. Preghenella, M. Rolo, R. Wheadon, M. Mignone, C. Alice, Marco Giacalone, F. Cossio, D. Falchieri, M. Garbini, N. Funicello, C. Baldanza, M. Capua, M. Alexeev, C. Ripoli, M. Chiosso, D. De Gruttola, S. Fazio, E. ̃Tassi, L. P. Rignanese, C. Tuvé, P. Antonioli, Marta Ruspa, D. Giordano, D. Panzieri, A. Calivà, M. Contalbrigo, B.R. Achari, L. Occhiuto, G. Dellacasa
article en
15 citations

Abstract

We present a mixed-signal ASIC, called ALCOR (A Low-power Chip for Optical sensor Readout), designed for the readout and digitization of signals from Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) in the framework of the dual-radiator RICH (dRICH) detector of the electron–Proton/Ion Collider (ePIC) experiment at the Electron–Ion Collider (EIC). ALCOR features 32 channels arranged in an 8x4 matrix. The amplifier input stage is a low impedance current conveyor based on a regulated common-gate topology. The versatile front-end is able to work with positive or negative input polarity signals and includes four gain settings and two discriminators with 6-bit DAC programmable thresholds. Each channel also incorporates quad-buffered low-power TDCs based on analogue interpolation providing precise timestamping with a 25–50 ps time bin. ALCOR is designed in a 110 nm CMOS technology and the power consumption is about 10–12 mW per channel. The ASIC has been extensively tested in the laboratory standalone and coupled to different SiPM models to assess its functionality and performance. The results have been validated in a beam test campaign with a prototype of the dRICH detector and 1280 3 × 3 mm 2 SiPM sensors.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated EquipmentVol. 1069
University of Salerno (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Ferrara (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna (IT), University of Calabria (IT), University of Turin (IT), University of Bologna (IT)
HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Nuclear Physics
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Particle Detector Development and Performance
9.89
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.