Speaker
Description
We present the design and implementation of a custom Test Equipment (TE) developed for the experimental characterization of Front-End Electronics (FEE) ASICs for Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs).
The TE is tailored for NOVA and similar multi-channel, low-noise mixed-signal FEEs designed for X-ray and gamma-ray detection in space-borne high-energy astrophysics missions. Built around a Xilinx Zynq-7000 FPGA platform, the system manages ASIC configuration and event acquisition through AXI (Advanced eXtensible Interface) interfaces. It enables testing of both stand-alone ASICs and complete detector assemblies under realistic operating conditions, allowing verification of functionality and performance against design requirements.
The TE provides a versatile and reliable framework for ASIC validation and detector characterization, and its applications in ongoing projects such as LEM-X (fast, all-sky transient detection from the lunar surface) and TASTE (X/γ-ray spectroscopy for planetary surface studies) will be discussed.