A 65 nm CMOS analog processor with zero dead time for future pixel detectors

Next generation pixel chips at the High-Luminosity (HL) LHC will be exposed to extremely high levels of radiation and particle rates. In the so-called Phase II upgrade, ATLAS and CMS will need a completely new tracker detector, complying with the very demanding operating conditions and the delivered luminosity (up to 5×1034 cm−2 s−1 in the next decade). This work is concerned with the design of a synchronous analog processor with zero dead time developed in a 65 nm CMOS technology, conceived for pixel detectors at the HL-LHC experiment upgrades. It includes a low noise, fast charge sensitive amplifier featuring a detector leakage compensation circuit, and a compact, single ended comparator that guarantees very good performance in terms of channel-to-channel dispersion of threshold without needing any pixel-level trimming. A flash ADC is exploited for digital conversion immediately after the charge amplifier. A thorough discussion on the design of the charge amplifier and the comparator is provided along with an exhaustive set of simulation results.