Cryogenic digital data links for the liquid argon time projection chamber

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that commercial digital data link components operate reliably at cryogenic temperatures, supporting the development of LArTPC detectors for neutrino experiments.

Contribution

It verifies the cryogenic functionality of various commercial components for data links in LArTPC detectors, a novel step for neutrino detection technology.

Findings

LVDS driver supports 1 Gbps over 20 meters at 77 K

COTS components function reliably at cryogenic temperatures

Cryogenic data links are promising for LArTPC applications

Abstract

In this paper we present the cryogenic functionality of the components of data links for the Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC), a potential far site detector technology of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE). We have confirmed that an LVDS driver can drive a 20-meter CAT5E twisted pair up to 1 gigabit per second at the liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). We have verified that a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) serializer, a laser diode driver, laser diodes, optical fibers and connectors, and field-programming gate arrays (FPGA's) continue to function at 77 K. A variety of COTS resistors and capacitors have been tested at 77 K. All tests we have conducted show that the cryogenic digital data links for the liquid argon time projection chamber are promising.