Recent results from the first lpGBT-based prototype of the End-of-Substructure card for the ATLAS Strip Tracker Upgrade

The building blocks of the upgraded ATLAS Strip Tracker for HL-LHC are modules that host silicon sensors and front-end ASICs. The modules are mounted on carbon-fibre substructures hosting up to 14 modules per side. An End-of-Substructure (EoS) card on each substructure connects up to 28 differential data lines at 640 Mbit/s to lpGBT and VL+ ASICs that provide data serialisation and 10 GBit/s optical data transmission to the off-detector systems respectively. Prototype EoS cards have been designed and extensively tested using lpGBT and VL+ prototypes. The status of the electronics design and recent test results are presented

HSA binding of HIV protease inhibitors: a high performance affinity chromatography study

The binding of HIV protease inhibitors, drugs important for anti-HIV chemotherapy, to human serum albumin (HSA) was examined by high-performance affinity chromatography. Frontal analysis was first used to determine the amount of anchored protein and the binding capacity for selected markers on this column. Zonal elution experiments then ranked the HSA bound fraction of the examined compounds. Information on the binding region was obtained by competitive zonal elution experiments using probe compounds with known sites on HSA. An allosteric competition between HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) and valproate (a probe for the bilirubin site) was detected, consistent with a non-cooperative binding mechanism. No significant competition was observed between the examined compounds and salicylate or ibuprofen, probes for sites I and II, respectively. The observations were confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy, based on the change in the induced circular dichroism signals of selected markers for the main binding sites of HSA when ritonavir was added as the competitor. These results were in good agreement with previous literature reports and provide more details on how PIs are transported in plasma and how they may compete with other drugs in the body

Current status of the end-of-substructure (EoS) card project for the ATLAS strip tracker upgrade using final ASICs

In the context of the high-luminosity upgrade of the LHC and ATLAS, the microstrip-tracking detector will be redesigned. The main building blocks are substructures with multiple sensors and their electronics. Each substructure will have a single interface to the off-detector system, the so-called End-of-Substructure (EoS) card. Its physical realisation is a set of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The PCB integrates ASICs and hybrids, which multiplex or demultipex the data and transmit with a rate up to 10 Gb/s or receive with a rate up to 2.5 Gb/s on optical fibres. These active parts are developed at CERN and are known as lpGBT and VTRx+. The EoS card integrates the active parts with the required electronics for the specified operation and within the mechanical constraints of the detector. In this paper critical design aspects such as the low-impedance powering scheme and the PCB setup are described. The EoS card has reached its final state for a series production, including the required setups for quality control. The achieved transmission quality on the 10 Gb/s links is presented

The End-of-Substructure (EoS) card for the ATLAS Strip Tracker Upgrade – from Design to Production

The ATLAS Strip Tracker for HL-LHC consists of individual modules that host silicon sensors and front-end electronics. The modules are then mounted on carbon-fiber substructures hosting up to 14 modules per side. An End-of-Substructure (EoS) card connects up to 28 data lines to the lpGBT and VL+ ASICs that provide data serialization and 10 GBit/s optical data transmission to the off-detector systems respectively. The EoS is powered by a dedicated Dual-Stage DC-DC converter. With the EoS now moving into production we report on first experiences from production and also give a few lessons learned during the project duration

The End-of-Substructure (EoS) card for the ATLAS Strip Tracker Upgrade – from Design to Production

The ATLAS Strip Tracker for HL-LHC is composed of individual modules that contain silicon sensors and front-end electronics. These modules are then mounted onto carbon-fiber substructures, hosting up to 14 modules per side. At the end of these substructures, an EoS card connects up to 28 data lines to the lpGBT ASICs and the VTRX+ module, which provide data serialization and 10 GBit/s optical data transmission to the off-detector systems, respectively. The EoS card is powered by a dedicated Dual-Stage DC-DC converter. With the EoS project moving into the production stage, this contribution summarizes the quality assurance and quality control performed during the pre-production phase