Use of FPGA-based configurable electronics to calibrate cavities

At the GSI Helmholzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH the accuracy requirements for synchrotron rf cavities have strongly increased in the last years, especially for multi-harmonic operation. For heavy-ion acceleration the amplitude and phase have to be well adjusted over a whole machine cycle. In order to compensate small deviations induced by low-level rf components (LLRF) and transmission lines in the control paths, a calibration electronic (CEL) with a characteristic map was developed. It is a real-time module which is based on modern FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology and adaptable to special cavities with various physical dependencies (e.g. attenuation, dispersion, temperature drift, aging etc.). The hardware and software architecture of this CEL module are presented here.