Radiation-Tolerant SoC and Application-Specific Processors for On-Detector Programmability and Data Processing in Future High-Energy Physics Experiments

The High Energy Physics (HEP) community faces new challenges in designing modern ASICs due to their increasing size and complexity, as well as the use of advanced semiconductor fabrication processes. This has led to a need for a more abstract design methodology that emphasizes the use of modular design techniques and programmable components to speed up the design and verification process. To address these challenges, two complementary approaches are proposed. The first uses a RISC-V based System-on-Chip (SoC) platform employing a radtolerant variant of the AMBA APB bus interconnect, primarily targeting control and monitoring applications. A demonstrator ASIC utilizing this radiation-tolerant SoC platform is presented. The second approach uses Application-Specific Instruction set Processors (ASIPs) to design data path elements for on-detector data processing applications. An integrated workflow is demonstrated using a commercial ASIP Designer EDA tool to define, benchmark, and optimize an ASIP for a specific use case, starting from a general-purpose processor

Generic Analog 8 Bit DAC IP Block in 28nm CMOS for the High Energy Physics Community

The High Energy Physics (HEP) microelectronic design community is leading a CMOS technology change from Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) designs in 130nm and 65nm to 28nm for the future upgrades of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The technology change to a newer and one of the last planar bulk technologies allows benefiting from advances like higher intrinsic density and speed. The increased radiation hardness of 28nm makes this change also inevitable to withstand future radiation in the LHC experiments with levels of Total Ionizing Dose (TID) beyond 1 Grad. We present a generic 8-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) as an analog IP block for ASIC designs in the HEP community in 28nm CMOS technology and the design challenges of the novel technology in HEP ASICs

Strategic R&D Programme on Technologies for Future Experiments - Annual Report 2020

This report summarises the activities and achievements of the strategic R&D programme on technologies for future experiments in the year 2020

Strategic R&D Programme on Technologies for Future Experiments - Annual Report 2021

This report summarises the activities and main achievements of the CERN strategic R&D programme on technologies for future experiments during the year 2021

Annual Report 2022

This report summarises the activities and main achievements of the CERN strategic R&D programme on technologies for future experiments during the year 202

Extension of the R&D Programme on Technologies for Future Experiments

we have conceived an extension of the R&D programme covering the period 2024 to 2028, i.e. again a 5-year period, however with 2024 as overlap year. This step was encouraged by the success of the current programme but also by the Europe-wide efforts to launch new Detector R&D collaborations in the framework of the ECFA Detector R&D Roadmap. We propose to continue our R&D programme with the main activities in essentially the same areas. All activities are fully aligned with the ECFA Roadmap and in most cases will be carried out under the umbrella of one of the new DRD collaborations. The program is a mix of natural continuations of the current activities and a couple of very innovative new developments, such as a radiation hard embedded FPGA implemented in an ASIC based on System-on-Chip technology. A special and urgent topic is the fabrication of Al-reinforced super-conducting cables. Such cables are a core ingredient of any new superconducting magnet such as BabyIAXO, PANDA, EIC, ALICE-3 etc. Production volumes are small and demands come in irregular intervals. Industry (world-wide) is no longer able and willing to fabricate such cables. The most effective approach (technically and financially) may be to re-invent the process at CERN, together with interested partners, and offer this service to the community

Annual Report 2023 and Phase-I Closeout

This report summarises the activities of the CERN strategic R&D programme on technologies for future experiments during the year 2023, and highlights the achievements of the programme during its first phase 2020-2023