DECAL: A Reconfigurable Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor for Tracking and Calorimetry in a 180 nm Image Sensor Process

Area of Science:

• High-energy physics instrumentation
• Particle detector development
• ASIC design for scientific applications

Background:

• Future particle colliders require cost-effective and versatile detector technologies.
• Existing detectors often lack reconfigurability, limiting their adaptability.
• Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) offer a promising platform for integrated detector solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of a reconfigurable ASIC for particle physics.
• To develop a chip capable of operating as both a digital calorimeter and a tracking detector.
• To reduce development and manufacturing costs for future collider detectors.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a prototype Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) device named DECAL.
• Implementation of a 64x64 pixel matrix with 55 μm pixel pitch.
• Development of a 40 MHz readout system to count particles within 25 ns intervals.
• Configurable readout modes: total sensor sum (calorimeter pad equivalent) and per-column sum (strip detector equivalent).

Main Results:

• Successful characterization of the DECAL prototype sensor.
• Demonstration of the chip's ability to operate in both calorimeter and tracking modes.
• Comparison of experimental results with simulation data.
• Validation of the reconfigurable architecture for particle physics applications.

Conclusions:

• The DECAL prototype successfully demonstrates the feasibility of a reconfigurable ASIC for particle physics.
• This digital calorimetry and tracking chip architecture shows potential for cost reduction in future collider detectors.
• The developed MAPS technology offers a versatile solution for particle detection.