An AdvancedTCA based data concentrator and event building architecture

Abstract

To address the data rate requirements for upcoming experiments in high energy physics, we present a configurable architecture for data concentration and event building, based on the AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA standards. The core component is a µTCA based module which connects a Lattice ECP3 FPGA to up to 8 front panel fiber ports for data input from front-end electronics. In addition, the fiber ports can distribute synchronization clock and configuration information from a central time distribution system. To buffer the incoming data, the module provides up to 2 soDIMM sockets for standard DDR3 memory modules. With different firmware functionality, the buffer module can then interface to a µTCA shelf backplane via e.g. PCI Express. To allow event building for more than 8 input links, 4 buffer modules can be combined on an ATCA carrier card, which connects to the high speed links on the µTCA connector. The connections between the 4 µTCA cards and the ATCA backplane can then be configured dynamically by a passive crosspoint switch on the ATCA carrier card. Thus, multiple event building topologies can be configured on the carrier card and within the full ATCA shelf to adapt to different system sizes and communication patterns.

New data acquisition system for the COMPASS experiment

“…The FPGA module was designed in a compact AdvancedMC form factor with respect to other possible applications such as the PANDA TPC [10] and ATCA based event builder [11]. One ATCA carrier card may host up to eight of the FPGA modules.…”

Overview and Future Developments of the intelligent, FPGA-based DAQ (iFDAQ) of COMPASS

“…With increasing beam energies, higher accelerator luminosities, and growing number of frontend channels over the last decades, the task of data acquisition in high-energy physics (HEP) experiments has become more and more complex [1]. The potential need of higher-level triggers, which ideally consider already the full detector data, requires inevitably an online event building mechanism.…”