An analog-to-digital conversion based on moving window deconvolution

A high-performance analog-to-digital conversion technique for nuclear spectroscopy applications with unconventional architecture is described. This technique is planned to be used in Phase 3 of the European [gamma]-ray facility project EUROBALL. The conversion is based on the Moving Window Deconvolution (MWD) method for signal processing in nuclear spectroscopy which has been introduced recently. This method allows the conversion to be represented as a sequence of measurements of the total charge of the event and consequently, by applying for example a simple oversampling scheme to achieve a high accuracy. The proposed MWD-type conversion exhibits very low differential and integral nonlinearities over a 14-bit resolution range with an effective conversion dead-time virtually zero. The last feature combined with an inherent pipeline conversion structure is of great importance for applications in large-scale multi-detector arrays like EUROBALL. The key parameters of the development have been theoretically estimated and measured with a prototype consisting of a free running A/D converter and a digital signal processor.