An ASIC front-end for fluorescence and Cherenkov light detection with SiPM for space and ground applications

摘要

Astroparticle and High Energy Astrophysics space missions measuring extensive air showers produced by cosmic rays and neutrinos in atmosphere require detection of very faint and intense ultraviolet and visible light. Characteristics of the new generation of SiPM (Silicon PhotoMultiplier) are potentially right for this purpose. The capability to operate SiPM contemporarily in photon counting and in charge integration is strictly dependent indeed by the design of the front-end electronics (FEE). In this context, the challenge is to find the right balance and a feasible solution for managing SiPM with a FEE to be able to work, contemporarily and efficiently, in photon counting and charge integration. In this manuscript we present a new ASIC, named RADI0R0C, that is an improvement of the CITIR0C and that is at the end of its design phase: this chip will be able to work contemporarily in both the named modes. The RADI0R0C characteristics and the first simulations carried out on the chip design will be presented.