Summary

Safran Electronic & Defense delivers a cutting-edge Beam Position Monitor (BPM) solution—available in uTCA and stand-alone configurations—that achieves exceptional position and phase accuracy for particle accelerator diagnostics. With a dynamic range of −75 to +5 dBm, position precision below 15 μm RMS, and phase precision under 0.1° RMS, it provides real-time, high-resolution beam measurements that improve operational efficiency, reliability, and performance.

Background

Beam Position Monitors are essential in commissioning, operating, and maintaining the accelerating cavities in particle accelerators. They provide precise measurements of beam position, phase, current, and time-of-flight, enabling operators to fine-tune beam quality and stability. Safran’s BPM builds upon extensive experience with PCIe-S BPM systems, now leveraging advanced uTCA.4 crate technology and modern embedded processing for higher precision, better integration, and faster response times.

Solution

The uTCA/stand-alone BPM system combines an analog front-end (BFE) with a powerful AMC digitizer board using Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ FPGA technology. It supports both continuous and pulsed beam measurements, fundamental and harmonic frequency analysis, and features a self-calibration process for uncompromised accuracy. With EPICS and TANGO integration, White Rabbit compatibility, and user-friendly GUI tools, it seamlessly fits into accelerator control systems.

Key Features

• Measurement Capabilities: Beam position, phase, current, spread, and time-of-flight (TOF)
• Modes: Continuous and pulsed measurements at fundamental and first harmonic frequencies
• Dynamic Range: −75 to +5 dBm
• Precision:
  • Position < 15 μm RMS (fine) / < 150 μm RMS (coarse)
  • Phase < 0.1° RMS (fine) / < 0.8° RMS (coarse)
• Fast Response: Position, phase, and current alarms with < 1.9 μs latency
• Self-Calibration: Dual-stage electronic and cable calibration with RF pilot tone
• Integration: EPICS/TANGO control systems, White Rabbit, IEEE-1588 timing protocols
• Signal Conditioning: Programmable attenuators, analog outputs (0–10 V)
• Data Handling: Postmortem analysis with configurable triggers and storage
• uTCA.4 Front-End Board: SMA RF inputs, analog outputs, filters, RF switches, EEPROM memory
• AMC Digitizer Board:
  • 10 × 16-bit ADCs @ 250 MSPS
  • Zynq UltraScale+ FPGA
  • 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 16 GB SD storage
  • Ethernet & SFP ports for high-speed data transfer
  • White Rabbit compatible networking

Products Used

• Beam Position Monitors (BPM) Digitizers: Upgraded to enhance measurement accuracy and integration with the WR system.

Results

• Operational Impact: Increased precision in beam diagnostics improves beam stability and accelerator performance.
• Integration Benefits: Seamless connection to existing timing and control systems enables faster commissioning and troubleshooting.
• Reliability: Fast alarms and robust calibration processes reduce downtime and mitigate beam instabilities.
• Flexibility: Configurable for diverse accelerator applications, from research facilities to industrial beamlines.