RSFQ time digitizing system

• Published in: IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 978 - 981
• Main Authors: Kirichenko, A.F., Sarwana, S., Mukhanov, O.A., Vernik, I.V., Zhang, Y., Kang, J., Vogt, J.M.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01-03-2001; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Buffer storage; Chip scale packaging; Circuit properties; Clocks; CMOS technology; Counting circuits; Digital circuits; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronic circuits; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Hafnium; Instruments; Josephson junctions; Physics; Process control
• ISSN: 1051-8223; 1558-2515
• DOI: 10.1109/77.919512

We have developed a high-performance time digitizer system using a superconductor technology for high-energy and nuclear physics detector instrumentation, CMOS chip diagnostics, and military applications. The system consists of an 8-channel, RSFQ multi-hit Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) integrated into a single system with a semiconductor VXI interface and control modules. The Digitizer operation and output digital data analysis are performed and fully controlled using custom PC-based LabVIEW/sup TM/ software. This all-digital TDC contains eight 9-hit, 14-bit, 20-GHz TDC channels on a 1 cm /spl times/1 cm chip. The TDC chip is capable of operation in Common Start and Common Stop modes. The VXI digitizer part comprises a 200 MS/s, 8-channel data receiver module, a TDC control module, and a commercial VXI-PCI link. The data receiver module converts data into ECL format. The TDC control module based on Xilinx CPLD technology sorts this data and also controls the superconductive RSFQ chip operation by producing all necessary control and readout signals. We present results of operation and experimental performance evaluation of this system.