A 512-channel front-end electronics prototype based on a custom ASIC for MPGD

Abstract Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs) have become an important component in high-energy physics experiments due to their good spatial and time resolution. This paper presents the design and testing of a 512-channel front-end electronics (FEE) prototype based on a 32-channel custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to read the Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector. The test results show a gain non-uniformity of below 5% and a charge resolution of better than 0.24 fC, meeting the design requirements. The time resolution is around 1 ns root mean square (RMS). The readout electronics have also been validated with the prototype RICH detector, in the Super Tau-Charm Facility (STCF), and clear hit images can be measured with the ^55Fe radiation source.