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Results for “ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Analog-to-digital converter based on voltage-controlled superconducting devices

The increasing demand for cryogenic electronics in superconducting and quantum computing systems calls for ultra-energy-efficient data conversion architectures that remain functional at deep cryogenic temperatures. Here, in this work, we present the first design of a voltage-controlled superconducting flash analog-to-digital converter (ADC) based on a voltage-controlled quantum-enhanced Josephson junction field-effect transistor (JJFET). Exploiting its strong gate tunability and transistor-like behavior, the JJFET offers a scalable alternative to conventional current-controlled superconducting devices while aligning naturally with CMOS-style design methodologies. Building on our previously developed Verilog-A compact model calibrated to experimental data, we design and simulate a three-bit JJFET-based flash ADC targeted for integration within cryogenic control and readout circuitry in quantum computing. The core comparator block is realized through careful bias current selection and augmented with a three-terminal nanocryotron to precisely define reference voltages. Cascaded JJFET comparators ensure robust voltage gain, cascadability, and logic-level restoration across stages. Simulation results demonstrate accurate quantization behavior with ultra-low power dissipation, underscoring the feasibility of voltage-driven superconducting mixed-signal circuits. This work establishes a critical step toward unifying superconducting logic and data conversion, paving the way for scalable cryogenic architectures in quantum–classical co-processors, low-power artificial intelligence accelerators, and next-generation energy-constrained computing platforms.

Analog-to-digital converter↗
NASA NTRS1965

Analog-to-digital converter

An analog to digital converter circuit arrangement is reported that is suitable for use in ultra fast pulse height analysis. The circuit uses series connected tunnel diodes to quantize a voltage signal into discrete levels.

Lewyn, L. L.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Captan+X Data Converter Integration

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory's CAPTAN (Compact And Programmable daTa Acquisition Node) series provides a flexible hardware platform for data acquisition across a range of experiments and facilities. The latest iteration, CAPTAN+X, is built around a Kintex-7 FPGA supporting four FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connections. As part of a broader laboratory effort to bring facility systems under a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) framework, CAPTAN+X is one of several systems slated to be incorporated into this modeling environment in the near term. A necessary step toward that goal is incorporating the platform's core functionality, which centers on integration with the LXD31K4 FMC, a data converter module combining dual AD9652 analog-to-digital converters and dual AD9142A digital-to-analog converters. Achieving compatibility required resolving pin-mapping conflicts between the LXD31K4's High Pin Count connector and the CAPTAN+X's available pin types, adapting a Board Support Project originally written for an UltraScale-class evaluation board to the Kintex-7 architecture, replacing incompatible primitives, restructuring clock distribution, and manually configuring chip initialization in place of an unsupported soft-processor-based approach. Functional verification of the ADC and DAC channels, followed by closed-loop testing combining both converters with real-time filtering, confirmed correct operation of the integrated system. These results establish a working hardware and firmware baseline for the CAPTAN+X platform, positioning it for future inclusion in the laboratory's growing MBSE modeling effort.

Espinoza, David [Illinois U., Urbana (main)]↗
DOE OSTI2026

CAPTAN+X Data Converter Integration

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory's CAPTAN (Compact And Programmable daTa Acquisition Node) series provides a flexible hardware platform for data acquisition across a range of experiments and facilities. The latest iteration, CAPTAN+X, is built around a Kintex-7 FPGA supporting four FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connections. As part of a broader laboratory effort to bring facility systems under a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) framework, CAPTAN+X is one of several systems slated to be incorporated into this modeling environment in the near term. A necessary step toward that goal is incorporating the platform's core functionality, which centers on integration with the LXD31K4 FMC, a data converter module combining dual AD9652 analog-to-digital converters and dual AD9142A digital-to-analog converters. Achieving compatibility required resolving pin-mapping conflicts between the LXD31K4's High Pin Count connector and the CAPTAN+X's available pin types, adapting a Board Support Project originally written for an UltraScale-class evaluation board to the Kintex-7 architecture, replacing incompatible primitives, restructuring clock distribution, and manually configuring chip initialization in place of an unsupported soft-processor-based approach. Functional verification of the ADC and DAC channels, followed by closed-loop testing combining both converters with real-time filtering, confirmed correct operation of the integrated system. These results establish a working hardware and firmware baseline for the CAPTAN+X platform, positioning it for future inclusion in the laboratory's growing MBSE modeling effort.

Espinoza, David [Illinois U., Urbana (main)]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-interval distributions in a digital gamma multi-channel analyzer at extreme input rates

Here, this study explores the relationship between experimentally observed inter-event time-interval distributions (TIDs) and measured dead times for pulses generated by a HPGe gamma detector and processed by a digital spectrometer. The system utilizes a fast and slow channel, pile-up rejector, trapezoid filtering, and flash analog-to-digital converter. The experimentally derived TIDs were compared with theory for validation. The results demonstrate that the theoretical model reliably describes measured TIDs up to 40% dead time. However, significant distortion effects become increasingly pronounced at higher input rates. It appears that the deviation between the measured and calculated time-interval distributions take the shape of higher-order convolutions of the TID, which represent the time difference between counts for more than two successive events. In this work, theoretical functions for the TID are expanded to reproduce measurements up to 90%. This refinement in the interpretation and treatment of the measured TIDs provides improved accuracy and precision in the prediction of the true event rate and measured dead time in the counter. Even though it reflects occasional count loss that is specific to the set-up, it is expected that a similar adjustment may be applicable to other detection systems as well.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thermal neutron imaging detector with wavelength shifting fiber and digital readout

Here, we developed a large area, digital thermal neutron imaging detector. The detector uses a 6 LiF/ZnS(Ag) neutron-sensitive scintillator combined with wavelength shifting fiber technology. The signals from fiber channels are amplified, integrated, and digitized using individual analog-to-digital converters for each channel. The neutron position is determined from the digitized signal using a least-squares gaussian-fitting algorithm. The detector size was 77 × 38 cm 2 (2926 cm 2 ), it provided 1.3 mm resolution, and its resolution can further be improved. The detector was designed for a powder diffraction neutron scattering beamline and provided substantial improvement of d-space resolution compared with existing detectors. This detector may have broader applications due to its large area and high spatial resolution extended over its large area.

6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillator↗
DOE OSTI2025

Lead tungstate calorimeter of the Jefferson Lab Eta Factory experiment

A new electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) consisting of 1596 lead tungstate PbWO 4 scintillating crystals has been fabricated and installed in the experimental Hall D at Jefferson Lab (JLab). The highgranularity, high-resolution calorimeter is required by the JLab Eta Factory experiment, whose main physics goal is to study rare decays of eta mesons. The ECAL replaced the inner part of the forward lead glass calorimeter of the GlueX detector. Signals from the detector will be digitized using twelve-bit flash analog-to-digital converters operated at a sampling rate of 250 MHz. The ECAL is integrated into the trigger system of the GlueX detector using electronics modules designed at JLab. The ECAL is currently at the commissioning stage and should be ready for the physics run in January 2025. We will give an overview of the JEF experiment, the design and construction of the ECAL, and the integration of the detector and its infrastructure into the Hall D experimental setup.

Somov, Alexander [Thomas Jefferson National Accele↗
DOE OSTI2026

Wasserstein Normalized Autoencoder for Anomaly Detection in ProtoDUNE Vertical-Drift Detector

ProtoDUNE Vertical Drift needs a selective triggering algorithm. The detector sits on Earth's surface, so cosmic activity dominates its data. Our goal in this paper is to trigger on neutrino events more robustly than the current deployed Analog-to-Digital Converter Simple Window (ADCSW) model and, eventually, search for signals of Beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics at DUNE as our ultimate North Star objective. As a step towards this goal, we evaluate a Wasserstein Normalized Autoencoder (WNAE) on simulated collection-plane only windows of shape $1\times10\times10$ where Neutrinos act as our BSM-proxy and Cosmic-ray Muons serve as our learned background. The network parameters are fitted using only cosmic-ray muon events as background in order to maintain an unsupervised pipeline. Training uses finite-step Langevin $x^-$ samples, positive-sample reconstruction energy, and an empirical sliced $2$-Wasserstein objective to learn a normalized Boltzmann energy model. We then calibrate on a nominal $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$ operating threshold calculated from cosmic validation data. Both WNAE and ADCSW accept 311 of 194,083 held-out cosmic background events at this $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$ threshold. We found that WNAE accepts 9,677 of 34,634 neutrino-proxy events $(27.9\pm0.24)\%$, compared with 10,076 $(29.1\pm0.24)\%$ for ADCSW, an observed WNAE-minus-ADCSW difference of $-1.15\%$. At another nominal $2\,\mathrm{Hz}$ target threshold, the corresponding efficiencies are $(20.5\pm0.22)\%$ and $(22.6\pm0.22)\%$, respectively. Of the WNAE-selected neutrino proxies at $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$, $(20.8\pm0.4)\%$ of the classified neutrino-proxy events are unique to WNAE, where the uncertainty is an absolute binomial standard error of $0.4\%$.

Zheng, Jake [U. Chicago (main)] (ORCID:00090002189↗
DOE OSTI2025

Risk-informed Graded Approach for Reliability and Performance Assessment of Sensor and Instrumentation Systems within Advanced Condition Monitoring Technologies

Advanced condition monitoring (ACM) technologies, such as digital twins, are innovative strategies designed to provide real-time health insights, including the remaining useful life of components. The primary goal of ACM is to predict and alert operators to potential functional failures before they occur. ACM systems achieve this by integrating predictive models with various sensor instrumentation, analog-to-digital converters, data warehouses, and data pre-processors. These sensor and instrumentation systems (SIS) are essential for forming a comprehensive understanding of component conditions and ensuring the predictive success of ACM programs. Introducing new technologies like ACM involves varying degrees of risk that can impact plant reliability. Therefore, risk mitigation should be commensurate with the performance and reliability of the developed technology, following a risk-informed graded approach (RIGA). Establishing a RIGA process requires a clear understanding of the hazards and reliability of all subsystems, including their interdependencies and potential impacts on the overall system. Given the critical role of SIS in ACM, this work reviews hazard identification and reliability quantification methods for SIS. It also considers these methods' implications when developing a RIGA process for ACM.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Wasserstein Normalized Autoencoder for Anomaly Detection in ProtoDUNE Vertical-Drift Detector

ProtoDUNE Vertical Drift needs a selective triggering algorithm. The detector sits on Earth's surface, so cosmic activity dominates its data. Our goal in this paper is to trigger on neutrino events more robustly than the current deployed Analog-to-Digital Converter Simple Window (ADCSW) model and, eventually, search for signals of Beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics at DUNE as our ultimate North Star objective. As a step towards this goal, we evaluate a Wasserstein Normalized Autoencoder (WNAE) on simulated collection-plane only windows of shape $1\times10\times10$ where Neutrinos act as our BSM-proxy and Cosmic-ray Muons serve as our learned background. The network parameters are fitted using only cosmic-ray muon events as background in order to maintain an unsupervised pipeline. Training uses finite-step Langevin $x^-$ samples, positive-sample reconstruction energy, and an empirical sliced $2$-Wasserstein objective to learn a normalized Boltzmann energy model. We then calibrate on a nominal $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$ operating threshold calculated from cosmic validation data. Both WNAE and ADCSW accept 311 of 194,083 held-out cosmic background events at this $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$ threshold. We found that WNAE accepts 9,677 of 34,634 neutrino-proxy events $(27.9\pm0.24)\%$, compared with 10,076 $(29.1\pm0.24)\%$ for ADCSW, an observed WNAE-minus-ADCSW difference of $-1.15\%$. At another nominal $2\,\mathrm{Hz}$ target threshold, the corresponding efficiencies are $(20.5\pm0.22)\%$ and $(22.6\pm0.22)\%$, respectively. Of the WNAE-selected neutrino proxies at $5\,\mathrm{Hz}$, $(20.8\pm0.4)\%$ of the classified neutrino-proxy events are unique to WNAE, where the uncertainty is an absolute binomial standard error of $0.4\%$.

Zheng, Jake [Chicago U.] (ORCID:0009000218901379)↗