Fast28 a low-power fast readout design for SiPMs in 28nm CMOS

The field of detector readout electronics for precise timing has experienced a remarkable surge of interest due to its diverse range of applications in nuclear medicine such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET), High Energy Physics (HEP), Time-of-Flight (ToF) mass spectrometry and many other fields. This growth can be attributed to rapid advancements in photodetectors, particularly the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), which has demonstrated exceptional suitability for these applications, owing to its ability to generate signals with unprecedentedly fast rise times. This work presents a low-power and high timing resolution readout front-end design for SiPMs in 28nm CMOS technology. With a low input impedance of less than 20Ω and a current-based input stage, it is suitable for a wide range of SiPM types and sizes. The power consumption of one timing channel is less than 2mW, and it achieves a sub-20ps r.m.s timing jitter for a single photo-electron, considering parasitic capacitances and inductances, with a 3x3mm² Hamamatsu SiPM S13360-3050CS at 4.5V over-voltage. These exceptional features make this front-end readout a promising candidate for numerous applications.