Search

Modern physics experiments often utilize field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based systems for real-time data acquisition (DAQ). Integrated analog electronics demand for complex calibration routines. Furthermore, versatile configuration and control of the whole system are key requirements. Besides a low-level register interface to the FPGA, also, access to I2C and SPI buses is often needed to configure the complete system. Calibration through an FPGA is inflexible and yields a complex hardware implementation. On the contrary, calibration through a remote system is possible but considerably slower due to repetitive network accesses. By using system-on-chip (SoC)-FPGA solutions with a microprocessor, more sophisticated configuration and calibration solutions, as well as standard remote access protocols, can be efficiently integrated into the software. Based on Xilinx Zynq US+ SoC-FPGAs, we implemented a versatile control framework. This software framework offers convenient access to the hardware and a flexible abstraction via remote-procedure calls (RPCs). Based on the open-source RPC library gRPC, functionality with low-latency control flow, complex algorithms, data conversions and processing, and configuration via external buses can be provided to a client via Ethernet. Furthermore, client interfaces for various programming languages can be generated automatically, which eases collaboration among different working groups and integration into existing software. This contribution presents the framework and benchmarks regarding latency and data throughput. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs) are highly linear cryogenic detectors that offer an excellent energy resolution, a signal rise time of <100 ns, and a high dynamic range. MMCs are of high interest for many experiments. One of them, i.e., the Electron Capture (EC) in 163Ho (ECHo) experiment, requires the utilization of large MMC detector arrays. The readout of such MMC arrays is a challenging task, which can be tackled using software-defined radios (SDRs). Although SDR is a well-known approach in communications engineering, a dedicated implementation for frequency division multiplexed readout of MMCs is new and one of the technological key elements of the ECHo project. ECHo will be the first experiment to use microwave superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) multiplexed MMC detectors, and therefore, pioneering the hardware, firmware, and software development in this domain. This paper presents the detailed concepts and current status of the development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]