A fast, low power, amplifier-shaper-discriminator for high rate straw tracking systems

The ASD-8 is a bipolar integrated circuit that provides eight channels of amplifier, shaper and discriminator on a 2.8-mm by 4.7-mm silicon substrate. It is designed for use in the straw based central tracking system of the SDC detector. Competing requirements for short measurement time ( approximately=5 ns), good double pulse resolution ( approximately=20 ns), low power ( approximately=15 mW/channel), and low operational threshold ( approximately=1 fC) lead to the choice of a largely differential circuit that includes detector tail compensation. Tests of parts from a recent prototype run indicate excellent yield and stable operation with little or no internal crosstalk.<
>