Front-end IC for a muon spectrometer with cathode strip chambers

The first iteration step of a custom front-end readout integrated circuit design for muon spectrometer cathode strip chambers is reported. It was intended for the GEM experiment at the SSC supercollider (USA, Texas), however, it can be applied in CMS or ATLAS projects (the LHC supercollider, CERN, Switzerland). The IC was produced using BJT-JFET technology. It contains of a BJT-inputted charge-sensitive preamplifier followed by a slow shaper in a signal path and a fast shaper in a trigger path. A noise performance ENC = 1980 e + 7 epF has been achieved for detector capacitance up to 600 pF at a peaking time of 300 ns and a power dissipation of 67 mW per channel. A low power comparator made with the same technology, when connected to the fast shaper output, has provided a time walk and jitter of approximately 2 ns. The IC appears to have good radiation tolerance for neutrons.