Speaker
Description
Future particle physics experiments will require detectors with a much larger number of channels, higher data rates, and the ability to operate in extreme radiation and temperature conditions. This trend is already being observed in current detector upgrades, where increasing detector granularity, faster readout electronics and more complex front-end systems are leading to higher power demands. As a result, power delivery systems represent one of the key engineering challenges for the next generation of experiments. Project DRD7.1b is part of the ECFA DRD7 collaboration, and its goal is to develop power distribution schemes, voltage and current regulators, and power converters suitable for future detector applications, from neutrino experiments to high-luminosity collider detectors.
The project investigates two complementary powering approaches: parallel powering, based on DC-DC conversion, and serial powering, where a chain of modules shares a common constant current.
For parallel powering, a two-stage conversion scheme is being developed. The first stage handles conversion from 48 V down to an intermediate voltage, with CERN developing a GaN-based converter and TalTech exploring an alternative single stage topology. The second stage, targeting on-chip regulation down to 0.9V in 28nm CMOS technology, is being addressed in parallel by FH Dortmund and a CERN–UniUD team, each exploring different converter architectures. RWTH Aachen contributes by integrating the bPOL48V converter into CMS Phase-2 Outer Tracker modules to characterise its noise impact.
For serial powering, a similar two-stage scheme is being developed. ITA is working on a COTS-based 48 V input GaN current source focused on embedded filtering, low-noise operation and modular scalability. In parallel, FH Dortmund is developing next-generation Shunt-LDO regulators in 28 nm technology for on-chip current-to-voltage conversion. INFN, together with the University of Milan, is building a demonstrator to characterise serially powered monolithic pixel modules.
Results and progress from all these efforts will be presented.