Design and Test of a CMOS Low-Power Mixed-Analog/Digital ASIC for Radiation Detector Readout Front Ends

A new CMOS low-power mixed A/D ASIC for radiation detector readout front ends is presented *. First, we recall the principle of radiation detection system before describing the whole architecture of the circuit. The discussion is then focused on the low-power issue. By means of an innovative 128:1 analog multiplexer, we show how we drastically reduced the mean power consumption without sacrificing constraining specifications such as the input range and the readout rate. Testing mixed A/D, but strongly analog IC is also a big issue which is addressed here. Specific built-in test analog sub-circuits have been implemented in the ASIC, along with a JTAG module used to choose the type of test to perform. This module is also used to control an