High-Performance ADC for Particle Accelerator Instrumentation Applications

In this DOE SBIR Phase I program, Ridgetop Group will design a programmable, high resolution (12/14 bits), high speed (500 MS/s to 2 GS/S), analog-to-digital data converter (ADC) for use in particle accelerator instrumentation applications. The significance of this innovation is that high speed, high performance accelerator instrumentation systems, require fast digitization with extremely high linearity and dynamic range to achieve system performance targets. In many applications, with the added requirement of radiation hardness and low power, the ADC is a critical chokepoint that must meet demanding standards. The ADC employs an innovative time-interleaved pipeline architecture and is based on the most advanced silicon-germanium (SiGe) bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology available, providing an effective number of bits more than 2 bits higher (ENOB = 11.0 bits) than the best commercially available 2 GS/s ADC (ENOB = 8.9 bits). Additionally, the ADC conserves valuable power because it uses 70% less power than the commercially available ADCs. For maximum flexibility and suitability to future DOE nuclear physics experiments, the ADC provides two configurable pipeline channels and four programmable operation modes: (1) 12-bit (ENOB = 11.0 bits), 2 GS/s, 900 mW; (2) 14-b (ENOB = 12.5 bits), 500 MS/s, 900 mW; (3) 12-bit, 500 MS/s, 300 mW; and (4) deep sleep mode with power consumption & lt;5 mW. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The main target applications are particle accelerator instrumentation applications for nuclear physics experiments. Radiation-hardened, high-performance ADCs are one of the key components for the success of these experiments. In addition to the applications supported by DOE, the ADC has also great potential in the space microelectronics engineering area and in many other areas, such as telecommunication receivers, software-defined radio applications (such as set-top boxes) and Automatic Test Equipment (ATE).