Radiation hardness studies of the front-end ASICs for the optical links of the ATLAS semiconductor tracker

Studies have been performed on the effects of radiation on ASICs incorporating bipolar npn transistors in the AMS 0.8 mu m BiCMOS process. Radiation effects are reviewed and the approach used to achieve radiation tolerant ASICs is described. The radiation tests required to validate the ASICs for use in the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are discussed. The results demonstrate that they are sufficiently radiation tolerant for use in the ATLAS semiconductor tracker. (20 refs).