Design and thermal simulation of the front-end module for STARLIGHT

Abstract

This paper presents a front-end module emulator for SemiconducTor Array detectoR with Large dynamIc ranGe and cHarge inTegrating readout (STARLIGHT), a versatile hybrid silicon pixel detector with a high frame rate (≥10kHz) and serving as the first charge-integrating pixel detector for XFEL in China. The detector is intended for operation in a vacuum environment, with the front-end module generating a thermal power of up to 5.443 mW/mm2, presenting a significant challenge for thermal management. To assess the thermal management capabilities of the mechanical and PCB designs for the project, a thermal emulator was developed to replicate the heat generated by the ASIC. This was particularly crucial during the early stages of the project when the ASIC was not yet available, achieved by placing copper wires on the PCB. Subsequent thermal simulations were conducted and compared with the results obtained from the thermal emulator. The comparison shows that the experimental results are very close to the thermal simulation results, validating the thermal performance of the STARLIGHT front-end modules. These endeavors not only provide validation but also offer valuable insights to ensure the thermal efficiency of the STARLIGHT front-end modules.