Configurable low noise readout front-end for gaseous detectors in 130nm CMOS technology

In this work a low noise readout front-end for gaseous detectors with configurable sensitivity and peaking time is presented. The proposed topology supports positive/negative input charge polarity and can be used for TPC (Time Projection Chamber) readout systems with Multi-Wire Proportional Chambers (MWPC) or Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technologies. The front-end can be configured for 80ns, 160ns and 300ns of peaking time and 4mV/fC, 20mV/fC and 30mV/fC of sensitivity via transmission gates. The detector capacitance range where the circuit operates are 12pF to 25pF for 20mV/fC and 30mV/fC, and 30pF to 110pF for 4mV/fC of sensitivity. A chip with 3 front-end channels was designed with the proposed front-end topology in 130nm TSMC CMOS technology. The fabricated front-end was designed for minimum Equivalent Noise Charge (ENC) of 428e@160ns, cross-talk lower than 0.2%, linearity lower than 1% and supply voltage of 1.2V. Experimental results of sensitivity, peaking time and power consumption are close to the simulated values.