TARGET: A multi-channel digitizer chip for very-high-energy gamma-ray telescopes

Bechtol K, Funk S, Okumura A, Ruckman LL, Simons A, Tajima H, Vandenbroucke J, Varner GS (2012)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2012

Journal

Book Volume: 36

Pages Range: 156-165

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2012.05.016

Abstract

The next-generation very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observatory, the Cherenkov Telescope Array, will feature dozens of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs), each with thousands of pixels of photo-sensors. To be affordable and reliable, reading out such an array of up to a million channels requires event recording technology that is highly integrated and modular, with a low cost per channel. We present the design and performance of a chip targeted to this application: the TeV Array Readout with GSa/s sampling and Event Trigger (TARGET). This application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) has 16 parallel input channels, a 4096-sample buffer for each channel, adjustable input termination, self-trigger functionality, and tight window-selected readout. We report the performance of the first-generation version of this chip (TARGET 1) in terms of sampling frequency, power consumption, dynamic range, current-mode gain, analog bandwidth, and cross talk. The large number of channels per chip allows a low cost per channel ($10 to $20 including front-end and back-end electronics but not including photosensors) to be achieved with a TARGET-based IACT readout system. In addition to basic performance parameters of the TARGET 1 chip, we present a camera module prototype as well as a second-generation chip (TARGET 2), both of which have now been produced. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V-. All rights reserved.

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APA:

Bechtol, K., Funk, S., Okumura, A., Ruckman, L.L., Simons, A., Tajima, H.,... Varner, G.S. (2012). TARGET: A multi-channel digitizer chip for very-high-energy gamma-ray telescopes. Astroparticle Physics, 36(1), 156-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2012.05.016

MLA:

Bechtol, K., et al. "TARGET: A multi-channel digitizer chip for very-high-energy gamma-ray telescopes." Astroparticle Physics 36.1 (2012): 156-165.

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