Next generation high energy physics experiments will feature high-granularity detectors with thousands
of readout channels, thus requiring ASICs (low power and dimension).
CAEN FrontEnd Readout System (FERS) 5200 integrates ASICs on small, synchronizable and
distributable systems with Front and Back Ends. The A5203 FERS houses the recently released
CERN picoTDC ASIC and provides high-resolution time measurements of Time of Arrival (ToA)
and Time over Threshold (ToT).
In this work we will analyze the performances of the A5203 unit: 3.125 ps LSB, ToA measurements
down to ∼7 ps RMS for signals of fixed amplitude over a single board, and ∼20 ps RMS for
input signals of variable amplitude (over a 50 dB dynamic range). The walk effect introduced by
different amplitudes is corrected using the ToT. Besides walk correction, the ToT is used for signal
amplitude reconstruction and background reduction.
The A5203 has been used in various applications, both experimental and industrial. At the end of
this work, its application in the ProVision PET scanner will be presented.