In view of low-noise and low-power GaAs front-ends

The use of GaAs in front-end electronics for radiation detection systems has been widely investigated by many authors and several prototypes of GaAs front-ends have been proposed. This work is a review and deepening of the criteria for the design of a low noise and low-power GaAs front-end. Remarks on the choice of the optimum bias point and gate width of the input transistor and on the choice of the shaping are discussed. A comparison of several GaAs FETs in terms of low-frequency noise and achievable resolution is also shown.