A 32-channel preamplifier chip for the multiplicity vertex detector at PHENIX

The TGV32, a 32-channel preamplifier–multiplicity discriminator chip for the multiplicity vertex detector (MVD) at PHENIX, is a unique silicon preamplifier in that it provides both an analog output for storage in an analog memory and a weighted summed-current output for conversion to a channel multiplicity count. The architecture and test results of the chip are presented. Details about the design of the preamplifier, discriminator, and programmable digital–analog converters performance as well as the process variations are presented. The chip is fabricated in a 1.2 μm, n-well, complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor process.