ICON, a current mode preamplifier in CMOS technology for use with high rate particle detectors

The ICON current mode preamplifier intended for use in experiments at high-rate hadron colliders is described. The transient response and noise performance are analyzed. One chip has been made using an ICON circuit with resistive feedback to produce a preamplifier with a peaking time of below 10 ns. This fast preamplifier has a gain of 870 mV/pC and a power dissipation of around 1 mW. Another chip was made using the ICON circuit as the front-end to a dual-port analog memory. The noise measured is between 2400 e/sup -/ and 3000 e/sup -/. An important characteristic of ICON is that it can tolerate a detector leakage current of 10 mu A at the DC-coupled input. Therefore, it is very suitable for silicon detector systems under severe radiation conditions.>