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CAEN Digitizer Whitepaper

In recent years CAEN has developed a complete family of digitizers that consists of several models differing in sampling frequency, resolution, form factor and other features. Besides the use of the digitizers as waveform recorders (oscilloscope mode), CAEN offers the possibility to upload special versions of the FPGA firmware that implement algorithms for the Digital Pulse Processing (DPP); when the digitizer runs in DPP mode, it becomes a new instrument that represents a complete digital replacement of most traditional modules such as Multi Channel Analyzers, QDCs, TDCs, Discriminators and many others.

Analog VS Digital

From multiple boards, cables and manual adjustment …

  • No flexibility: functions hard-coded in electronic circuits!

 

… to a single multi-purpose board controlled by a software

  • Flexibility, small size and weight, stability, scalability, good performances

Digitizer principle of operation

Introduction

A single digitizer can replace multiple analog boards by performing several operations at the same time:

  • Waveform recording
  • TDC (Time to Digital Converter)
  • QDC (Charge to Digital Converter
  • PHA (Pulse Height Analysis)
  • PSD (Pulse Shape Discriminator)
  • Logic Units (Coincidence logic/Veto)

This is possible thanks to the flash ADC (or switch capacitor ADC) and the programmable FPGA available onboard!

Waveform inspector and recording

Input pulses are digitized into samples by the flash ADC

Detectors coupled with Charge Sensitive Preamplifier (like HPGe, Silicon, etc. ) typically generate “slow” signals with good energy resolution -> Required ADC frequency from 50 to 200 MS/s

Fast detectors coupled with PMT, SiPM, etc, typically generate signals with high timing resolution -> Required ADC from 250 MS/s to 1 GS/s and higher (like 5 GS/s with Switched Capacitor Arrays).

Raw waveform firmware acquires data with a global trigger (simultaneous among all channels). Data can be retrieved in multiple formats for further post-processing analysis

Digital Pulse Processing

How it works in our digitizers

DPP firmware1 (Digital Pulse Processing) implements several algorithms running in real time in the FPGA.

The acquisition takes place with channel independent trigger. Each sampled waveform is analyzed to extract the information of time, energy, PSD, etc.

Data is grouped into compact formats (List mode), thus allowing the board to have high throughput. The waveform too can be retrieved for further post-processing.
(1) pay-firmware

Immagine esplicativa
Immagine esplicativa

DPP - timing and correlations

Digital CFD (Constant Fraction Discrimination) and LED (Leading Edge Discrimination) implemented onboard for a fine time stamp resolution.

  • Fine time stamp steps of 1 ps for 751 family, 2 ps for 730, and 4 ps for 725 family
  • Time correlation among channels for Time of Flight (ToF)/ Start-Stop measurements, etc.
  • ToF resolution for 22Na with BaF2 detectors: 182 ps
  • ToF resolution for 60Co with BC501A detectors: 230 ps

See for example AN6872, AN3251, AN5157
Check your board here

DPP – Gated QDC and Pulse Shape Discrimination

Typical input pulses from detectors with PMTs, without the use of preamplifiers, or at least with mid-fast preamplifiers.

The input pulse is analyzed by the FPGA, in particular:

  • Baseline subtracted
  • Gate for charge integration
  • Double Gate for pulse shape discrimination

Typical energy resolutions:

  • 3.0 % @ 137Cs for LaBr3
  • 5-8 % @ 137Cs for NaI(Tl)

Typical PSD resolutions for neutron/gamma (FoM = centroid_difference/ (FPHM_gamma + FWHM_Neutron) ):

  • FOM > 2.0 for E > 300 keV, FOM > 2.5 for E > 580 keV

See for example AN6872, AN3250
Check your board here

DPP - Pulse Height Analysis

Digital MCA, accepting signals from HPGe, Silicon, multi wire chambers, coupled with charge sensitive/transistor reset preamplifier, without the use of a Shaping Amplifier. It can work with PMTs or faster preamplifiers too.

Typical features of a PHA system:

  • Trapezoid shaping (replacing the gaussian shaper)
  • Trap. Baseline subtraction to evaluate the trap. height
  • Ballistic effects correction
  • Add back for clover detectors

Typical energy resolutions:

  • 1.8 keV @ 60Co for HPGe
  • From 1.5 to 2.5 keV @ [120-1460] keV for Clover add-back

See for example AN6896, AN5830, AN5157, AN3110
Check your board here

DPP – Zero Suppression and Dynamic Acquisition Window

Zero Length Encoding

  • Long waveform acquisition
  • Suppression of zeros (baseline)
  • Acquisition of relevant information only
  • Common trigger

 

Dynamic Acquisition Window

  • Waveform acquisition
  • Automatically adjustment of the acquisition window with the pulse duration
  • Channel-independent trigger

Software

CoMPASS

  • CoMPASS can manage the acquisition of multiple boards with non-homogeneous DPP firmware
  • Easy manipulation of data:
    • Multiple Spectra with ROI and statistics
    • Runtime data correlation (energy and time filters/add back/PSD cuts, etc.)
    • Data socket for user runtime analysis
    • Compliant with ROOT
    • Several output format

Switched Capacitors

x742 and x743 Digitizer Family

742 – DRS4 chip (designed @PSI ) &
743 – SAMLOG chip (designed @CEA/IRFU & CNRS/IN2P3/LAL)

  • High frequency analog sampling (up to 5 GS/s)
  • High density channels
  • 1024 cells storage (capacitors)
  • Sampling/holding functioning
  • Drawback: high dead-time (180 us/125 us)

Similar Performances in time measurement but…

  • 742 digitizers can measure
    • Relative time between two signals fed in the same chip
    • Relative time between one channel signal and the trigger signal
  • 743 digitizers have sychronous sampling so the reference is the same
    Sampling and Trigger are advantages of 743 family
    Memory buffer is an advantage of the 742 family

Open FPGA Digitizer

x560 Digitizer Family

Maximum flexibility for several applications

  • R5560/R5560SE
    • 128-channels (diff. or single-ended) rackmount for large experimental installation
    • Readout of large arrays of detectors, especially in neutron detection applications
  • DT5560SE
    • 32-Channels Desktop form factor for lab development and testing
    • Maximum readout flexibility: USB3.0, Ethernet and Optical Link
  • Fully supported by SCI-Compiler for easy-FPGA programming

A completed renewed Digitizer series

Digitizer 2.0

Improvement of Performances, Open FPGA and embedded ARM

  • More density, faster sampling rate, higher resolution for higher performances
  • Increase readout bandwidth: from 1 to 10 Gbit/s
  • Communication through 1/10 Gb Ethernet, USB 3.0 (yet keeping proprietary CONET)
  • Easier multi-board synchronization (clock and timing distribution)
  • Increase of memory size: from SSRAM to DDR4 (=> from MBs to GBs)
  • Single FPGA (Zync US+) architecture => more resources for DPP algorithms and support for “Open FPGA”
  • Embedded quad-core ARM (Linux) => middleware, web interface. Possibility to run user Data Processing SW

 

Model # Channels MS/s # bit Applications
x2740 64 125 14 64 MCAs for high channel density spectroscopy
Good fit for Neutrino and Dark Matter exp. (candidate for Dark Side)
x2751 16 1000 14 Ultra-fast detectors with ps timing applications
x2725/x2730 16 250/500 14 Medium-fast detectors
Sub-ns timing combined with high energy resolution
x2724 32 125 16 Spectroscopy & MCA
Advanced Front-End (gain, shaping, …)
Semiconductor detector (HPGe, Clover, SDD, …)
Typically connected to charge Sensitive Preamplifier

Summary

Digitizer Summary

Model Form factor # Channels MS/s # bit Wave Recording Zero Suppression Dinamic Acquisition Window PHA PSD CFD QDC Open FPGA
x720 VME/NIM/Destkop 8/4/2 250 12 ✔ ✔
x724 VME/NIM/Destkop 8/4/2 100 14 ✔ ✔ ✔
x725 VME/NIM/Destkop 16/8 250 14 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
x730 VME/NIM/Destkop 16/8 500 14 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
x740 VME/NIM/Destkop 64/32 62.5 12 ✔ ✔
x751 VME/NIM/Destkop 8/4/2 1000 – 2000 10 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
x761 VME/NIM/Destkop 2/1 4000 10 ✔
x742 VME/NIM/Destkop 32+2 / 16+1 5000 12 ✔
x743 VME/NIM/Destkop 16/8 3200 12 ✔
x5560 Rack/Destkop 32/128 250 14 ✔
x27xx VME/NIM/Destkop 16/64 125 – 1000 14/16 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Acquisition Modes Summary

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