FERMI-a new concept of fast readout and data processing for calorimeters: full VHDL design and present results

The R&D collaboration RD-16 develops FERMI, a fast digital front-end and readout microsystem for the readout of high-precision detectors at LHC. The FERMI concept is based on analogue dynamic range compression, high speed A to D conversion, a fully programmable pipeline, a digital processing chain with local intelligence and system supervision. The design of the various digital components (FIR filters, pipeline memory, address and readout controllers) has been successfully achieved, with excellent results, using a complete set of VHDL tools. During 1995, up to 100 channels of various prototypes of calorimetric detectors equipped with a partial FERMI readout (the analogue ASIC plus a minimal digital part) have acquired data in a high energy test beam at CERN. Interesting and encouraging preliminary results have been obtained about the performances under realistic conditions.