The Latency Validation of the Optical Link for the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter Phase-I Trigger Upgrade

TL;DR

This paper validates the latency performance of optical data link ASICs designed for the ATLAS LAr Calorimeter upgrade, confirming they meet specifications through measurements and simulations.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive latency validation for the ASICs used in the ATLAS LAr Calorimeter trigger upgrade, combining measurement and simulation data.

Findings

Both ASICs meet their latency specifications.

Measurement results are consistent with simulations.

Latency validation confirms design goals are achieved.

Abstract

Two optical data link data transmission Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), the baseline and its backup, have been designed for the ATLAS Liquid Argon (LAr) Calorimeter Phase-I trigger upgrade. The latency of each ASIC and that of its corresponding receiver implemented in a back-end Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) are critical specifications. In this paper, we present the latency measurements and simulation of two ASICs. The measurement results indicate that both ASICs achieve their design goals and meet the latency specifications. The consistency between the simulation and measurements validates the ASIC latency characterization.