A test stand system for high-energy physics applications

The Front-End R&D group at Fermilab has been developing pixel hybridized modules and silicon strip detectors for the past decade for high-energy physics experiments. To accomplish this goal, one of the activities the group has been working on includes the development of a flexible high-speed and high-bandwidth data acquisition and test system to characterize front-end electronics. In this paper, we present a general purpose PCI-based test stand system developed to meet the stringent requirements of testing silicon strip and pixel detectors. The test stand is based on a platform that is flexible enough to be adapted to different types of front-end electronics. This system has been used to test the performance of the electronics for different experiments such as BTeV, CDF, CMS, and Phenix. The paper presents the capabilities of the system and how it can be adapted to meet the testing requirements of different applications.