Development of Readout Electronics for a High-Speed Event-Driven Neutron Imaging Detector Based on Timepix4

TL;DR

This paper presents a high-speed, compact readout electronics system based on Timepix4 for neutron imaging, capable of handling 160 Gbps bandwidth and supporting large memory, with successful initial testing and stable high-speed data channels.

Contribution

Development of a novel, high-performance, compact readout electronics system for neutron imaging detectors utilizing Timepix4 with full bandwidth and large memory support.

Findings

Achieved error-free data channels at 5.12 Gbps

System supports up to 32 GB memory

Functionality confirmed through X-ray experiments

Abstract

As the Chinese Spallation Neutron Source enters Phase II, the increase in proton beam power will lead to a further boost in the intensity of pulsed neutron beams. To address the demand for higher event-rate readout electronics for energy-resolved neutron imaging detectors, we have developed a high-performance readout electronics system based on the Timepix4 chip. The prototype electronics system comprises a Timepix4 chip board and a high-performance digital board, which are interconnected through a custom FMC interface. The advantage of this system is its ability to achieve the full bandwidth readout of 160 Gbps for a single Timepix4 chip. The electronics system, based solely on a single ZYNQ-MPSOC chip, is capable of fully meeting the required performance specifications within a compact form factor of 8 cm x 30 cm. Furthermore, the system features a high-capacity external SODIMM memory interface (supporting up to 32 GB), which ensures stable data readout through a single 40 Gbps QSFP+ interface. As of the present moment, notable progress has been achieved, including the successful establishment of 16 data channels between Timepix4 and FPGA that operate error-free and stably at a speed of 5.12 Gbps, which is half of the maximum theoretical speed of 10.24 Gbps. The threshold standard deviation across all pixels is less than 50 e- after equalization. And the clear structural results obtained from X-ray experiments indicate that the functionality is essentially complete, allowing further testing.