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Register a new userPrototype Analog Front-end for Negative-ion Gas and Dual-phase Liquid-Ar TPCs
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Added by
Tetsuichi Kishishita
Publication date
2019
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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We report on the recent development of a versatile analog front-end compatible with a negative-ion $mu$-TPC for a directional dark matter search as well as a dual-phase, next-generation $mathcal{O}$(10~kt) liquid argon TPC to study neutrino oscillations, nucleon decay, and astrophysical neutrinos. Although the operating conditions for negative-ion and liquid argon TPCs are quite different (room temperature textit{vs.} $sim$88~K operation, respectively), the readout electronics requirements are similar. Both require a wide-dynamic range up to 1600 fC, and less than 2000--5000 e$^-$ noise for a typical signal of 80 fC with a detector capacitance of $C_{rm det} approx 300$~pF. In order to fulfill such challenging requirements, a prototype ASIC was newly designed using 180-nm CMOS technology. Here, we report on the performance of this ASIC, including measurements of shaping time, dynamic range, and equivalent noise charge (ENC). We also demonstrate the first operation of this ASIC on a low-pressure negative-ion $mu$-TPC.
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The bubble-assisted Liquid Hole Multiplier (LHM) is a novel concept for the combined detection of ionization electrons and scintillation photons in noble-liquid time projection chambers. It consists of a perforated electrode immersed in the noble liquid, with heating wires generating a stable bubble underneath. Radiation-inducted ionization electrons in the liquid drift into the electrodes holes and cross the liquid-vapor interface into the bubble where they induce electroluminescence (EL). The top surface of the electrode is optionally coated with a CsI photocathode; radiation-induced UV-scintillation photons extract photoelectrons that induce EL in a similar way. EL-photons recorded with an array of photosensors, e.g. SiPMs, provide event localization. We present the basic principles of the LHM and summarize the results obtained in LXe and LAr.
We designed a versatile analog front-end chip, called LTARS, for TPC-applications, primarily targeted at dual-phase liquid Ar-TPCs for neutrino experiments and negative-ion $mu$-TPCs for directional dark matter searches. Low-noise performance and wide dynamic range are two requirements for reading out the signals induced on the TPC readout channels. One of the development objectives is to establish the analog processing circuits under low temperature operation, which are designed on function block basis as reusable IPs (Intellectual Properties). The newly developed ASIC was implemented in the Silterra 180~nm CMOS technology and has 16 readout channels. We carried out the performance test at room temperature and the results showed an equivalent noise charge of 2695$pm$71~e$^-$ (rms) with a detector capacitance of 300~pF. The dynamic range was measured to be 20--100~fC in the low-gain mode and 200--1600~fC in the high-gain mode within 10% integral nonlinearity at room temperature. We also tested the performance at the liquid-Ar temperature and found a deterioration of the noise level with a longer shaper time. Based on these results, we also discuss a unique simulation methodology for future cold-electronics development. This method can be applicable to design the electronics used at low temperature.
The water Cherenkov detector array (WCDA) is one of the key detectors in the large high altitude air shower observatory (LHAASO), which is proposed for very high gamma ray source survey. In WCDA, there are more than 3000 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) scattered under water in an area of 80000 m2. As for the WCDA readout electronics, both high precision time and charge measurement is required over a large dynamic range from 1 photon electron (P.E.) to 4000 P.E. To reduce the electronics complexity and improve the system reliability, a readout scheme based on application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) is proposed. Two prototype ASICs were designed and tested. The first ASIC integrates amplification and shaping circuits for charge measurement and discrimination circuits used for time measurement. The shaped signal is further fed to the second ADC ASIC, while the output signal from the discriminator is digitized by the FPGA-based time-to-digital converter (TDC). Test results indicate that time resolution is better than 250 ps RMS, and the charge resolution is better than 10% at 1 P.E., and 1% at 4000 P.E. which meets the requirements of the LHAASO WCDA.
The analog front-end for the Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) based precision timing application in the CMS Endcap Timing Layer (ETL) has been prototyped in a 65 nm CMOS mini-ASIC named ETROC0. Serving as the very first prototype of ETL readout chip (ETROC), ETROC0 aims to study and demonstrate the performance of the analog frontend, with the goal to achieve 40 to 50 ps time resolution per hit with LGAD (therefore reach about 30ps per track with two detector-layer hits per track). ETROC0 consists of preamplifier and discriminator stages, which amplifies the LGAD signal and generates digital pulses containing time of arrival and time over threshold information. This paper will focus on the design considerations that lead to the ETROC front-end architecture choice, the key design features of the building blocks, the methodology of using the LGAD simulation data to evaluate and optimize the front-end design. The ETROC0 prototype chips have been extensively tested using charge injection and the measured performance agrees well with simulation. The initial beam test results are also presented, with time resolution of around 33 ps observed from the preamplifier waveform analysis and around 41 ps from the discriminator pulses analysis. A subset of ETROC0 chips have also been tested to a total ionizing dose of 100 MRad with X-ray and no performance degradation been observed.
A novel light detection scheme has been tested for use in medium-pressure gas TPCs, in view of rare events searches in low energy particle physics. It has the advantage of minimal interference with the ionization collection system, used for track imaging. It provides an absolute time reference, which allows an absolute determination of the Z coordinate of events, along the direction of the drift field. This makes possible a fiducial cut along the Z-axis, allowing to reduce the background from the ends of the drift volume.
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