Development and Testing of the AMACStar ASIC at Penn for the ATLAS ITk Detector

In preparation for the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), the ATLAS detector will be upgraded with a new silicon-strip charged-particle tracking detector (ITk strip detector) to satisfy the new radiation, granularity, and timing requirements. The AMACStar (Autonomous Monitor and Control) is one of three ITk application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It is designed to monitor and control temperatures, voltages, and currents in the detector modules. This is an essential function for the ITk detector; the ASIC can autonomously (and quickly) identify hazards in the detector modules, controlling and preventing them from spreading.

The ITk ASICs are produced on wafers containing several hundred chips. In order to ensure that each AMACStar chip works and performs as expected, a comprehensive probe-station testing software and procedure have been developed. This setup tests the digital and analog functionality of each AMACStar to be installed in the ITk modules. I will present the probe-station setup and probing results of pre-production AMACStar chips.