Date: 25/06/2009

ADI's AD9042 ADCs to convert analog signals inside Hadron Collider

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research has selected Analog Devices made AD9042 high-speed, low-power, 12-bit ADC (analog-to-digital converter) in the detector section of CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest and most powerful particle collider, which is scheduled to restart in fall 2009.

CERN has deployed 100K numbers of AD9042 ADCs to convert various analog signals into digital format.

"Analog Devices' data converters play an important role inside the Large Hadron Collider. The converters we use need to be radiation-hard and reliable because they must function properly for decades in a high-radiation environment," said Hans Rykaczewski, resource manager, CERN. "The collisions created by the LHC emit energy that can be measured and analyzed once it is converted to a digital data stream. Analog Devices' converters have the speed and dynamic range we need to measure the energy captured by one of the 64,000-lead tungstate crystals. These crystals measure the energy of photons, electrons and positrons."

CERN, through this research is studying the basic constituents of matter - the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of nature. The LHC is located outside Geneva, Switzerland, in a tunnel 100 meters underground and 27 kilometers in circumference. (Watch videos to learn more about CERN.)

The semiconductor devices in systems such as this got to bear the high dose of radiation and other extreme weather conditions. The tricks learned in designing such chips provide companies a strong base in high-precision component market.

Whatever may the technological edge few of these semiconductor companies have, but the semiconductor market recovery is more determined by the portable electronics gadgets kind of products rather than high-rel systems.