An Extended Energy Range Readout ASIC: BEAR

Solar energetic particles (SEP) can be energized by a variety of physical processes. In order to understand these processes, there is a need for an instrument that can measure and identify a wide range of SEPs. The Boston Extended Amplitude Range (BEAR) ASIC has a modified charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) that can increase the dynamic energy range of the circuit by 2 orders of magnitude. The ASIC uses switchable capacitors that are dynamically added in parallel to the detector, thus sharing the charge deposited at the input and preventing the circuit from saturating. The test results of the BEAR ASIC show that the CSA can measure between 61fC to 49pC of charge deposited in the detector. The BEAR ASIC could be used with an energetic particle detector to gather the data required to help understand SEP energization processes.