The bPOL12V DCDC converter for HL-LHC trackers: towards production readiness

Abstract

We present the electrical and radiation characterisation of the most recent prototype of the bPOL12V DCDC converter, a stacked assembly of two ASICs inside a QFN32 package. The use of a reference voltage generator chip in 130nm CMOS on top of the ASIC integrating the control system and power train enables improved radiation tolerance and the trimming of the output voltage during the production phase. Prototype samples have been exposed to X-rays, proton and neutron irradiations, as well as subject to long-term electrical stress to evaluate their reliability in the application. The results confirm that only a few minor modifications are required to achieve production readiness.

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“…The modules come with either the BPOL12 radiation-hardened DCDC converter developed at CERN [11], (up to 500 kGy of TID and a DD of 1.2 × 10 15 1 MeV neutron equivalents/cm 2 ), or with radiation-qualified Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, tested up to 1 kGy. In the latter case, the modules can be replaced before reaching their TID threshold.…”

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“…The services baseline largely follows the ITk Pixel Inner System [3] with some notable differences. For example, the LV system uses DC-DC converters (bPOL [5]) instead of the serial powering scheme in the Pixel system, and the HV operates at 1000 V as opposed to 750 V in the Pixel system. The DCS, Interlock, Cooling, and PP3 design are largely based on the Pixel system, while the PP2, PP1, and PP0 designs have minor modifications.…”

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