VLSI structures for track finding

Abstract

We discuss the architecture of a device based on the concept of associative memory designed to solve the track finding problem, typical of high energy physics experiments, in a time span of a few microseconds even for very high multiplicity events. This “machine” is implemented as a large array of custom VLSI chips. All the chips are equal and each of them stores a number of “patterns”. All the patterns in all the chips are compared in parallel to the data coming from the detector while the detector is being read out.