Integration and characterization of Readout Electronics System for dN/dx Measurement with Drift Chamber Prototype

TL;DR

This paper details the design and testing of a high-speed, low-noise readout electronics system for drift chambers, enabling precise particle identification through cluster counting.

Contribution

It introduces a scalable 120-channel prototype with high bandwidth and low noise, demonstrating its suitability for fast ionization signal detection in drift chambers.

Findings

Achieved -3 dB bandwidth of 460 MHz and 0.81 μA RMS input noise.

Timing jitter measured at 0.87 ns, meeting precision needs.

Successfully resolved ionization peaks in cosmic ray tests.

Abstract

To explore the feasibility of high-precision particle identification using the cluster counting technique for the drift chamber, a dedicated readout electronics system with low noise, high bandwidth, and high sampling rate is required. This paper presents the design and performance evaluation of a scalable readout prototype developed for this application. The system architecture integrates a custom front-end with a $1.3\ \text{GSps}$ waveform sampling backend, implemented within a modular 120-channel framework. Laboratory characterization of the 40-channel prototype demonstrates a $-3$ dB analog bandwidth of $460\ \text{MHz}$ and an Equivalent Noise Input current of $0.81\ \mu\text{A}_\text{rms}$. These specifications are essential for preserving the fast temporal features of ionization signals. Furthermore, the system achieves an intrinsic timing jitter of $0.87\ \text{ns}$, which satisfies the timing precision requirements for drift distance measurement. Joint experiments with a drift chamber prototype using cosmic rays verified the system's capability to resolve discrete ionization peaks within piled-up waveforms. These results confirm that the readout electronics provide the signal fidelity and temporal resolution necessary for future cluster counting algorithm development.