Picosecond Scale Precision Tools for Timing and Frequency Information

High Energy Physics experiment components must have a distributed precision reference clock for critical synchronized timing of HEP experiments. Stable reference clocks (without suffering from drifting time skew phase delays) must be synchronized to those components which could be distributed over distances of order ten to twenty meters. Alphacoreĺs proposed ASIC is the first of its kind that delivers this combination of features and capabilities in the form of a single monolithic application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip. The proposed solution is based on Alphacoreĺs PLL that has been silicon proven in 130nm technology. Itĺs paired with our strong background in radiation testing PLLs and other complex ASICs for a wide range of radiation effects including total ionizing dose (TID), Prompt Dose, and Heavy Ions. The closest competing product is a rad-hard PLL and jitter cleaner with much lower specifications, and costs up to $35k per chip. Alphacoreĺs proposed ASIC will deliver more features in a single chip and improved specifications at a significantly lower cost. Use areas include applications with high channel counts such as radar, multichannel communication and sensor networks. In this DOE-funded program, Alphacore will design a versatile radiation-hard Phase Synchronizer with Jitter Cleaning (PSJC) ASIC with a variety of functions based on Alphacoreĺs low-jitter phase locked loop (PLL). ASIC can be used as PLL and frequency synthesizer, as well as a jitter cleaner for clocking system for multi-channel applications. Alphacore demonstrated the feasibility of the concept during Phase I (which was awarded in 2022 for the same topic), with a complete transistor-level design, simulated in Cadence, as well as a test chip design for critical elements that was sent to fabrication. Our work in this program responds to the requirements in highly accurate and synchronized electronics systems. Complete laboratory test setup and demonstration of the proposed solution using discrete components: Alphacore will work with Dr. Rusackĺs team in building a laboratory test setup that emulates the HEP experiment setups (albeit without radiation environment) and use discrete components to build a reference system to demonstrate the proposed solution. This setup will be eventually also used to evaluate Alphacoreĺs radiation hardened PSJC system. Objective 2: Objective 2: Optimize Design, layout and simulation of a low noise ring-oscillator based PLL:. Alphacore was very successful in completing first versions of the circuit building blocks in the Phase I contracts we had with DOE in 2018 ľ 2019 and 2022-2023. This achievement gives us a great head start to the new Phase I program, and we can use the funding to test chips that we have fabricated in 2023 and optimize the design and dedicate a great effort for the RH aspects as well. The test chip contains most critical test structures (such as RO PLL, rad-hard LDO) which will be then evaluated for performance in Phase I. Then an optimized full system ASIC version 1 with radiation hardness testing at the beginning of the Phase II program, if awarded. Alphacore understands that it is not typical to proceed to tapeout in Phase I since Phase II may not get awarded. However, we have found lots of interest towards this type of technology from various customers, and are thus willing to take this risk. The Test Chip will have 2mm x 1mm area and it will be fabricated via the Muse Semiconductor MPW service for the cost of $26k. Note that we plan to do two tapeouts of full system PSJC ASICs (version 1 and version 2) during the course of Phase I and Phase II. HEP and NP experiments that critically would significantly benefit from the PSJC ASIC are: Energy Frontier ATLAS and CMS, and precision quantum chromodynamics (QCD) studies at Large Hadron Collider at CERN), Intensity Frontier such as Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, and Cosmic Frontier LUX-ZEPLIN Dark Matter Experiment projects. Among these is the Electron Ion Collider Rapidly emerging communications, defense and aerospace, and medical equipment segments will generate significant volume revenue faster. Segments of particular interest and existing customer engagement include: Telecommunications including Edge computing, a key driving forces to enable Beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G networks, Point-to-Point. Aerospace and Defense companies for space missions, commercial, civil, military and intelligence community spacecraft next generation space-based communications. Medical Imaging Equipment for fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy applications or Positron-Emission Tomography nuclear medicine imaging techniques, robotic or remote laparoscopic surgeries with advanced precision of surgical video streams.