Applications of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays in Scientific Research

IntroductionWhat is an FPGA?Digital and analog signal processingFPGA costsFPGA versus ASIC

Understanding FPGA ResourcesGeneral-purpose resourcesSpecial-purpose resourcesThe company- or family-specific resources

Several Principles and Methods of Resource Usage ControlReusing silicon resources by process sequencingFinding algorithms with less computationUsing dedicated resourcesMinimizing supporting resourcesRemaining in control of the compilersGuideline on pipeline stagingUsing good libraries

Examples of an FPGA in Daily Design JobsLED illumination Simple sequence control with countersHistogram bookingTemperature digitization of TMP03/04 devicesSilicon serial number (DS2401) readout

The ADC + FPGA StructurePreparing signals for the ADCTopics on averagesSimple digital filtersSimple data compression schemes

Examples of FPGA in Front-End ElectronicsTDC in an FPGA based on multiple-phase clocksTDC in an FPGA based on delay chainsCommon timing reference distributionADC implemented with an FPGADAC implemented with an FPGAZero-suppression and time stamp assignmentPipeline versus FIFOClock-command combined carrier coding (C5)Parasitic event buildingDigital phase followerMultichannel deserialization

Examples of an FPGA in Advanced Trigger SystemsTrigger primitive creationUnrolling nested-loops, doublet findingUnrolling nested-loops, triplet findingTrack fitter

Examples of an FPGA ComputationPedestal and RMSCentre of gravity method of pulse time calculationLookup table usageThe enclosed loop microsequencer (ELMS)

Radiation IssuesRadiation effectsFPGA applications with radiation issuesSEE ratesSpecial advantages and vulnerability of FPGAs in spaceMitigation of SEU

Time-over-Threshold: The Embedded Particle-Tracking Silicon Microscope (EPTSM)EPTSM systemTime-over-threshold (TOT): analog ASIC PMFEParallel-to-serial conversionFPGA function Appendix Index References appear at the end of each chapter.