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OPTIMA, a board dedicated to Optimized Precision Timing for Multichannel Acquisition

Federico De Benedetti, Victor Coco, Paula Collins, Raphael Dumps, Edgar Lemos Cid, Alfonso Puicercus Gomez, Efren Rodriguez Rodriguez, Morag Williams

TL;DR

The paper presents OPTIMA, a modular, multichannel board designed to test non-hybridised fast silicon sensors under HL-LHC-like conditions. It details a two-board architecture with a SiGe-based two-stage transimpedance front-end capable of up to $6\ \text{GHz}$ bandwidth and $16$-channel readout, integrated into environments with HV and cooling control. Preliminary test-beam results demonstrate a timing performance of $\sim$ $33\ \text{ps}$ at high bias when read out from a $5\times5$ LGAD matrix, and a precise temporal correlation with a Timepix4 telescope using an ROI-triggered three-board setup that achieves a spatial telescope resolution of $2.3\ \mu\text{m}$. These findings establish OPTIMA as a practical platform for rapid characterization of small-area, high-speed sensors and set the stage for systematic studies of charge sharing, timing uniformity, and sensor irradiation effects in a coordinated spatial-temporal framework.

Abstract

In the new era of HL-LHC experiments, fast-timing detectors are emerging as critical tools for background rejection. Typical requirements include a temporal hit resolution of about 50 ps, a spatial resolution of around 12 $μ$m, and radiation hardness up to $10^{17}$n$_\text{eq}$/cm$^2$. To address these challenges, the development of non-standard sensor designs and advanced fast readout electronics is required. The OPTIMA multichannel board addresses the need for testing small sensor demonstrators when they cannot yet be bonded to dedicated readout ASICs. It provides fast readout of up to 16 channels and can be integrated into various test setups, including test beam environments. This contribution presents the design of the OPTIMA board, its integration in test beams, and the first experimental results.

OPTIMA, a board dedicated to Optimized Precision Timing for Multichannel Acquisition

TL;DR

The paper presents OPTIMA, a modular, multichannel board designed to test non-hybridised fast silicon sensors under HL-LHC-like conditions. It details a two-board architecture with a SiGe-based two-stage transimpedance front-end capable of up to bandwidth and -channel readout, integrated into environments with HV and cooling control. Preliminary test-beam results demonstrate a timing performance of at high bias when read out from a LGAD matrix, and a precise temporal correlation with a Timepix4 telescope using an ROI-triggered three-board setup that achieves a spatial telescope resolution of . These findings establish OPTIMA as a practical platform for rapid characterization of small-area, high-speed sensors and set the stage for systematic studies of charge sharing, timing uniformity, and sensor irradiation effects in a coordinated spatial-temporal framework.

Abstract

In the new era of HL-LHC experiments, fast-timing detectors are emerging as critical tools for background rejection. Typical requirements include a temporal hit resolution of about 50 ps, a spatial resolution of around 12 m, and radiation hardness up to n/cm. To address these challenges, the development of non-standard sensor designs and advanced fast readout electronics is required. The OPTIMA multichannel board addresses the need for testing small sensor demonstrators when they cannot yet be bonded to dedicated readout ASICs. It provides fast readout of up to 16 channels and can be integrated into various test setups, including test beam environments. This contribution presents the design of the OPTIMA board, its integration in test beams, and the first experimental results.
Paper Structure (5 sections, 5 figures)

This paper contains 5 sections, 5 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. OPTIMA circuit
  3. Test beam results
  4. Integration with Timepix4 telescope
  5. Conclusions

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: OPTIMA motherboard (left) and carrier board (right).
  • Figure 2: Two-stage transimpedance amplifier circuit implemented in OPTIMA.
  • Figure 3: Landau amplitude (left) and time-difference (right) distributions for the LGAD test-beam measurements. The time difference is computed between the LGAD pixel signal and the MCP reference. N denotes the number of entries in each distribution.
  • Figure 4: Three-stage OPTIMA setup installed in the centre of the Timepix4 telescope (left), LGAD matrix sensor with 16 wire-bonded channels (right).
  • Figure 5: Hit maps obtained from SAMPIC after alignment with Timepix4 telescope tracks: LGAD Region of Interest (ROI) used as trigger (left) and corresponding beam projection on the Device Under Test (DUT) (right).