SIDECAR ASIC Characterization Dan Pontillo

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SIDECAR ASIC CharacterizationDan Pontillo

• Background
• Developed by Teledyne Scientific Imaging, LLC
• Designed to streamline normally bulky and
  power-hungry focal plane electronics which are
  used to control imaging sensors
• Generates the necessary clock signals and bias
  voltages while simultaneously digitizing imaging
  sensor outputs
• Reduced size and mass of control electronics is
  crucial in space missions which have mass limits
• Planned for use on the Hubble Space Telescope and
  the James Webb Telescope
• Configuration for optimal performance demands a
  high level understanding of its operation and
  firmware design
• Goals
• Fully evaluation and characterization of ASIC
  chip
• Efficient, optimized firmware
• Specifications for optimal experimental setups
• Plan
• Obtain a baseline setup for minimal noise and
  processing
• Measure standard digitization characteristics
• Measure performance with respect to altered
  operational modes
• Organize performance data and specifications
  into a datasheet

ABOVE Sidecar ASIC performance specification
table
ABOVE Sidecar ASIC. All signal conditioning,
clock/bias generation and digitization hardware
is self-contained in this small chip.

• Testing
• The Sidecar ASICs baseline performance must be
  measured and tested with respect to its various
  modes of operation, firmware settings and
  experimental setups.
• The Sidecars firmware must also be pared down
  to a simple linear readout format, minimizing the
  amount of noise from signal conditioning and
  processing.
• Once a baseline operational mode is achieved,
  the Sidecar is subjected to a battery of standard
  tests for digitization hardware and analog
  electronics.
• These tests will be important in determining the
  optimal configuration for the SIDECAR for any
  given application. Thus allowing us to better
  control imaging sensors and optimizing their
  performance.

Setup A _ ASIC connected via Fiber boxes to PC
with battery power
Setup B_ ASIC connected directly via USB to PC
with battery power
ABOVE Detector control electronics built by
Astronomical Research Cameras, Inc. The SIDECAR
has the same capability as this set of
electronics.
ABOVE SIDECAR read noise results from two
distinct setups in an experiment to remove a
noise pattern. In this experiment, one input
channel on the SIDECAR was fed a 1V DC signal
from a power supply. In SETUP A the ASIC was
powered by an AC/DC converter via the USB cable.
In SETUP B the SIDECAR is powered by the laptop
battery via the USB cable. The noise difference
in the two setups can be attributed to the power
source for the ASIC. This is an example of the
tests needed to be preformed to determine the
optimal operation of the SIDECAR.
ABOVE Block diagram of the SIDECAR ASIC
The SIDECAR ASIC focal plane electronics on a
single chip Markus Loose et al.,     Proc. SPIE
Int. Soc. Opt. Eng. 5904, 59040V (2005) (10
pages)