Design and characterization of a multi-channel front-end readout ASIC with low noise and large dynamic input range for APD-based PET imaging

This paper represents the design of a low-noise, wide band multi-channel readout integrated circuit (IC) used as front-end readout electronics of Avalanche Photo Diodes (APD) dedicated to a small animal Positron Emission Tomography (PET) system. The first 10-channel prototype chip (APD_Chip) of the analog parts has been designed and fabricated in a 0.35-μm CMOS process. Every channel of the APD_Chip includes a charge-sensitive preamplifier (CSA), a CR-(RC)2 shaper, and an analog buffer. In each channel, the CSA reads charge signals (10 bits dynamic range) from an APD array having 10 pF of capacitance per pixel. A linearized degenerated differential pair which ensures high linearity in all dynamical range is used as the high feedback resistor for preventing pile up of signals. The designed CSA has the capability of compensating automatically up to 200 nA leakage current from the detector. The CR-(RC)2 shaper filters and shapes the output signal of the CSA. An equivalent input noise charge obtained from test is 275 e− + 10 e−/pF. In this paper the prototype is presented for both its circuits design and its test results.