A Very Low Power, Highly Integrated Multichannel Scaler

Multichannel Scaler (MCS) electronics are currently used in lidar-based remote sensing applications for photon counting and histogramming functions. As front-end photon detector technology improves, the need for advanced, high-performance multichannel scalers will increase so as to not limit system performance. This proposal describes a high-speed, low power MCS chip design and circuit board that incorporates multiple, popular processor interfaces and other on-chip functionality such as storage memory. The proposed innovation will provide improved time resolution, smaller size, and lower power than comparable industry implementations. By integrating multiple interfaces in a single device, the proposed chip could be used as a building block for other MCS programs wherein specific program needs dictate size constraints, data transfer rates, or performance criteria. Phase-I provides a two-fold opportunity. First, it provides for a study to determine current industry trends and user needs and to trade-off design issues so as to provide the most useful functionality in the Phase-II development. Second, it provides for the development of a prototype in order to validate the conceptual basis for the final Phase-II proposal. The proposed innovation will aid in expanding the measurement capabilities of current airborne, spaceborne, and ground-based lidar systems.