Abstract: Diverse applications from particle physics experiments to lidar are driving cost and current reduction in giga-hertz sampling rate high-resolution data conversion. Multiple imagers captures a single pixel of data and require processing at very high speed. High-bandwidth high-rate signal sampling, analog-to-digital conversion, and transfer of large amounts of data to a digital data acquisition block are required in such systems. Dynamic range, power consumption, and transfer of high-speed, high-bit width data are key implementation challenges. Data acquisition architectures optimized for specific requirements of such systems may facilitate system implementation and reduce overall system cost.

Abstract: Diverse applications in particle physics experiments and emerging technologies such as Lidar are driving performance increase and cost reduction in giga-hertz sampling-rate high-resolution data conversion. In applications such as these, critical aspects of the data may occur only during relatively short nanosecond portions of observation periods lasting microseconds. Data acquisition architectures that key in on regions of the data containing activity, digitize the data, and provide info to accurately measure the position of the data in time relative to a time reference are described. These architectures may facilitate system implementation and reduce overall system cost.