Development of a Pulse Shape Discrimination CMOS ASIC

（核）相互作用的一个特征是结合原子核并支持大的（中子）星，这一点人们知之甚少。这个特征是当中子质子比远大于1时，结合如何随物质密度而变化。例如，当中子比质子多得多时。 确定（中子）星的质量，以及实验室测量地球上原子核碰撞的动力学，可以帮助确定这种未知的依赖关系。 我们参与了后一种类型的研究。 我们的实验需要大量的探测器阵列。 这些检测器阵列中的一些仅需要在每个检测器元件中沉积的能量以及何时发生能量存款。我们已经设计，建造和投入运行的微芯片（CMOS技术制造），大大简化了从大型探测器阵列获取这些数据。然而，我们的实验还需要探测器提供的不仅仅是能量和时间信息。这些检测器系统中的一些需要粒子识别以及总脉冲高度（能量）和时间信息。粒子识别（例如，质子或α粒子）信息被编码在来自探测器元件的脉冲形状的时间依赖性中。该提案将创建一个集成电路，补充我们现有的一个，这将能够做的脉冲形状的歧视（PSD）所需的颗粒类型识别。 具有脉冲整形能力的CMOS芯片从未被制造出来;然而，额外的工程努力（基于我们以前的芯片）设计这样一个芯片所需的资金并不多，而且在两年资助的范围内。在资助的两年内，我们将：（1）设计集成电路，（2）制造原型，（3）将其纳入工作系统并在我们的下一个实验中使用，（4）制造“生产芯片”，以及（5）将测试站分配给其他感兴趣的群体。在进行上述工作时，我们将为辐射探测仪器的CMOS ASIC“工具箱”添加一个强大的新功能，从而使具有脉冲形状重要信息的大型探测器阵列更具成本效益。 我们还将培训一些研究生和本科生在混合信号，CMOS设计。

There is one feature of the (nuclear) interaction that binds nuclei and supports large (neutron) stars which is poorly understood. This feature is how the binding changes with the density of the matter when the neutron-proton ratio is far different than one. For example, when there are far more neutrons than protons. Determination of the masses of (neutron) stars, as well as laboratory measurements of the dynamics of terrestrial collisions between nuclei can help determine this unknown dependence. We are involved in the latter type of research. Our experiments require large arrays of detectors. Some of these detector arrays only require the energy deposited in each detector element and when in time the energy deposit occurred. We have designed, constructed and put into operation a micro-chip (fabricated with CMOS technology) which greatly simplifies acquiring these data from large detector arrays. However, our experiments also require detectors which provide more than just energy and time information. Some of these detector systems require particle identification as well as total pulse-height (energy) and time information. The particle identification (for example, proton or alpha particle) information is encoded in the time dependence of the pulse shape from the detector elements. This proposal will create an integrated circuit, complementing our existing one, which will capable of doing the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) required for particle type identification. A pulse-shape capable CMOS chip has never been made; however, the additional engineering effort (building on our previous chip) required to design such a chip is modest and within the scope of a two year grant.Within the two years of this grant we will: (1) design the integrated circuit, (2) build a prototype, (3) incorporate it into a working system and use it in our next experiment, (4) make a "production chip", and (5) distribute test stations to other interested groups. In doing the above, we will add a powerful new capability to the CMOS ASIC "tool box" for radiation detection instrumentation and thus make large detectors arrays with important information in the pulse shape more cost effective. We will also train several graduate and undergraduate students in mixed-signal, CMOS design.