Recent topics in front-end electronics—Systems considerations in high energy physics and other fields

Front-end electronics for future high-energy physics experiments are driven primarily by systems considerations. Minimizing material is a key aspect in both the ILC and sLHC upgrades. This requires minimizing power dissipation in the front-end electronics, as this can reduce material in the cabling and cooling systems. Various techniques to reduce power dissipation and material are discussed. Current systems, however, have developed successful technologies for large-scale highly segmented detectors that are being applied to other applications such as electron microscopy and high-rate X-ray imaging. In closing, the paper discusses multiplexing technologies for large-scale cryogenic bolometer arrays as could be applied to precision gamma spectroscopy. Current frequency-domain multiplexers are operating reliably, but the challenges associated with SQUID front-ends are discussed and a more robust alternative is presented.