DEMONSTRATION OF AN ATCA BASED RF CONTROL SYSTEM AT FLASH

Future rf control systems will require simultaneous data acquisition of up to 100 fast ADC channels at sampling rates of around 100 MHz and real time signal processing within a few hundred nanoseconds. At the same time the standardization of Low-Level RF systems are common objectives for all laboratories for cost reduction, performance optimization and machine reliability. Also desirable are modularity and scalability of the design as well as compatibility with accelerator instrumentation needs including the control system. All these requirements can be fulfilled with the new telecommunication standard ATCA when adopted to the domain of instrumentation. We describe the architecture and design of an ATCA based LLRF system for the European XFEL. The operation of a prototype capable of controlling the vectorsum of 24-cavities and providing measurements of forward and reflected power are presented.