An ASIC for multichannel data acquisition systems [and application to ESCA]

In this paper we describe the realization of an ASIC which significantly simplifies the instrumental apparatus for measurements in UHV (ultrahigh vacuum, p/spl les/10/sup -9/ mbar) while permitting very fast acquisitions. The chip will first be used in ESCA experiments; however its parallel architecture and the fast serial protocol for data transmission may increase the efficiency of the measurement process in any experiment where multichannel acquisition is a key issue.