Radiation-hard ASICs for optical data transmission in the ATLAS pixel detector

We have developed two radiation-hard ASICs for optical data transmission in the ATLAS pixel detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The first circuit is a driver chip for a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) diode to be used for 80 Mbit/s data transmission from the detector. The second circuit is a Bi-Phase Mark, decoder chip to recover the control data and 40 MHz clock received optically by a PIN diode on the detector side. During ten years of operation at the LHC, the ATLAS optical link circuitry will be exposed to a maximum total fluence of 10¹⁵ 1-MeV-equivalent neutrons per cm². We have successfully implemented both ASICs in a commercial 0.25 μm CMOS technology using standard layout techniques to enhance the radiation tolerance. Both chips are four-channel devices compatible with common cathode PIN and VCSEL arrays. We present results from final prototype circuits and from irradiation studies of both circuits with 24 GeV protons up to a total dose of 57 Mrad.