D. La Marra

The ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter read-out system

The Liquid Argon calorimeters play a central role in the ATLAS experiment. The environment at the LHC collider imposes challenging tasks to their read-out system. To achieve measurements of particles and trigger signals at high precision, the detector signals are processed at various stages before reaching the Data Acquisition system (DAQ). Signals from the calorimeter cells are received by front-end boards, which digitize and sample the incoming pulse. Read-out Driver (ROD) boards further process the data at a trigger rate of up to 75 kHz. An optimal filtering procedure is applied to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio. The ROD boards calculate precise energy, time and quality of the detector pulse, which are then sent to the DAQ. In addition, the RODs perform a monitoring of the data. The architecture of the ATLAS Liquid Argon detector read-out is discussed, in particular the design and functionality of the ROD board. Performance results obtained with ROD prototypes as well as experience from complete test setups with final production boards are reported.

Progress in the development of the DTMROC time measurement chip for the ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT)

A 16-channel digital time-measurement readout chip (DTMROC) has been fabricated in the TEMIC/DMILL BI-CMOS radiation-hard process for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Transition Radiation Tracker (ATLAS/TRT) at CERN. The chip receives discriminated straw-drift-tube signals from bipolar amplifier-shaper-discriminator chips (ASDBLR), measures the arrival time in 3.125 ns increments (/spl plusmn/1 ns), and stores the data in a pipeline for 3.3 /spl mu/s. A trigger signal (L1A) causes the data to be tagged with a time stamp and stored for readout. Up to 13 events may be stored in an on-chip buffer while data is being clocked out in a 40 MHz serial stream. The chip has been designed to function after exposure to 1/spl times/10/sup 14/ protons/cm/sup 2/ and 1 Mrad total dose. System beam-tests have demonstrated measurement of track positions with a resolution of 165 /spl mu/m and 85% efficiency at rates up to 18 MHz.

A double-sided silicon micro-strip Super-Module for the ATLAS Inner Detector upgrade in the High-Luminosity LHC

The ATLAS experiment is a general purpose detector aiming to fully exploit the discovery potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It is foreseen that after several years of successful data-taking, the LHC physics programme will be extended in the so-called High-Luminosity LHC, where the instantaneous luminosity will be increased up to 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1. For ATLAS, an upgrade scenario will imply the complete replacement of its internal tracker, as the existing detector will not provide the required performance due to the cumulated radiation damage and the increase in the detector occupancy. The current baseline layout for the new ATLAS tracker is an all-silicon-based detector, with pixel sensors in the inner layers and silicon micro-strip detectors at intermediate and outer radii. The super-module is an integration concept proposed for the strip region of the future ATLAS tracker, where double-sided stereo silicon micro-strip modules are assembled into a low-mass local support structure. An electrical super-module prototype for eight double-sided strip modules has been constructed. The aim is to exercise the multi-module readout chain and to investigate the noise performance of such a system. In this paper, the main components of the current super-module prototype are described and its electrical performance is presented in detail.

Double-sided silicon strip modules for the ATLAS tracker upgrade in the High-Luminosity LHC

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be upgraded in ~ 2022 to enable peak luminosities of ~ 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1. In the period until ~ 2030, an integrated luminosity of ~ 3000 fb−1 is targeted, an order of magnitude increase. For ATLAS, an upgrade scenario will imply the complete replacement of its internal tracker. An all-silicon based tracker (pixels in the innermost layers, strips at outer radii) is currently being designed. The super-module is an integration concept for the barrel short and long-strip region of the future ATLAS tracker in which double-sided silicon micro-strip modules are assembled into a local support structure. A super-module prototype for eight strip modules has been built. The main components of the current prototype are described. First electrical results with DC-DC power converters are presented.

Internal alignment and position resolution of the silicon tracker of DAMPE determined with orbit data

Abstract The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a space-borne particle detector designed to probe electrons and gamma-rays in the few GeV to 10 TeV energy range, as well as cosmic-ray proton and nuclei components between 10 GeV and 100 TeV. The silicon–tungsten tracker–converter is a crucial component of DAMPE. It allows the direction of incoming photons converting into electron–positron pairs to be estimated, and the trajectory and charge (Z) of cosmic-ray particles to be identified. It consists of 768 silicon micro-strip sensors assembled in 6 double layers with a total active area of 6.6 m 2 . Silicon planes are interleaved with three layers of tungsten plates, resulting in about one radiation length of material in the tracker. Internal alignment parameters of the tracker have been determined on orbit, with non-showering protons and helium nuclei. We describe the alignment procedure and present the position resolution and alignment stability measurements.

Mechanical studies towards a silicon micro-strip super module for the ATLAS inner detector upgrade at the high luminosity LHC

It is expected that after several years of data-taking, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) physics programme will be extended to the so-called High-Luminosity LHC, where the instantaneous luminosity will be increased up to 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1. For the general-purpose ATLAS experiment at the LHC, a complete replacement of its internal tracking detector will be necessary, as the existing detector will not provide the required performance due to the cumulated radiation damage and the increase in the detector occupancy. The baseline layout for the new ATLAS tracker is an all-silicon-based detector, with pixel sensors in the inner layers and silicon micro-strip detectors at intermediate and outer radii. The super-module (SM) is an integration concept proposed for the barrel strip region of the future ATLAS tracker, where double-sided stereo silicon micro-strip modules (DSM) are assembled into a low-mass local support (LS) structure. Mechanical aspects of the proposed LS structure are described.

R&D towards the module and service structure design for the ATLAS inner tracker at the super LHC (SLHC)

We have designed modules and a service structure of silicon microstrip detectors as a part of the ATLAS inner tracker for the SLHC project on the basis of a modular and replaceable concept. Six modules have been completed with common components and by similar procedures. Single module tests and four-module combined tests were performed at each site and have been compared for crosschecking. Details of the module design and electrical performance are presented. A half-module was irradiated up to 5 × 1014 1-MeV neq/cm2 using 24-GeV protons at the CERN PS. Its electrical performance was investigated before and after irradiation. The design of an eight-module structure, which is insertable to and is replaceable from the overall structure, has also been reported.

Readout electronics development for the ATLAS silicon tracker

Abstract We present the status of the development of the readout electronics for the large area silicon tracker of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, carried out by the CERN RD2 project. Our basic readout concept is to integrate a fast amplifier, analog memory, sparse data scan circuit and analog-to-digital convertor (ADC) on a single VLSI chip. This architecture will provide full analog information of charged particle hits associated unambiguously to one LHC beam crossing, which is expected to be at a frequency of 40 MHz. The expected low occupancy of the ATLAS inner silicon detectors allows us to use a low speed (5 MHz) on-chip ADC with a multiplexing scheme. The functionality of the fast amplifier and analog memory have been demonstrated with various prototype chips. Most recently we have successfully tested improved versions of the amplifier and the analog memory. A piecewise linear ADC has been fabricated and performed satisfactorily up to 5 MHz. A new chip including amplifier, analog memory, memory controller, ADC, and data buffer has been designed and submitted for fabrication and will be tested on a prototype of the ATLAS silicon tracker module with realistic electrical and mechanical constraints.

In-flight performance of the DAMPE silicon tracker

Abstract DAMPE (DArk Matter Particle Explorer) is a spaceborne high-energy cosmic ray and gamma-ray detector, successfully launched in December 2015. It is designed to probe astroparticle physics in the broad energy range from few GeV to 100 TeV. The scientific goals of DAMPE include the identification of possible signatures of Dark Matter annihilation or decay, the study of the origin and propagation mechanisms of cosmic-ray particles, and gamma-ray astronomy. DAMPE consists of four sub-detectors: a plastic scintillator strip detector, a Silicon–Tungsten tracKer–converter (STK), a BGO calorimeter and a neutron detector. The STK is composed of six double layers of single-sided silicon micro-strip detectors interleaved with three layers of tungsten for photon conversions into electron–positron pairs. The STK is a crucial component of DAMPE, allowing to determine the direction of incoming photons, to reconstruct tracks of cosmic rays and to estimate their absolute charge (Z). We present the in-flight performance of the STK based on two years of in-flight DAMPE data, which includes the noise behavior, signal response, thermal and mechanical stability, alignment and position resolution.

The ATLAS liquid Argon calorimeters read-out system

The calorimetry of the ATLAS experiment takes advantage of different detectors based on the liquid Argon (LAr) technology. Signals from the LAr calorimeters are processed by various stages before being delivered to the Data Acquisition system. The calorimeter cell signals are received by the front-end boards, which digitize a predetermined number of samples of the bipolar waveform and sends them to the Read-Out Driver (ROD) boards. The ROD board receives triggered data from 1028 calorimeter cells, and determines the precise energy and timing of the signals by processing the discrete samplings of the pulse. In addition, it formats the digital stream for the following elements of the DAQ chain, and performs monitoring. The architecture and functionality of the ATLAS LAr ROD board are discussed, along with the final design of the Processing Unit boards housing the Digital Signal Processors (DSP).