Digital Pulse Processing (DPP)

Firmware

Photo of Digital Pulse Processing (DPP)

Digital Pulse Processing (DPP) firmware transforms CAEN digitizers into fully integrated digital spectrometers and multichannel acquisition systems, replacing traditional analog front-end chains with FPGA-based real-time signal processing. By implementing functions such as shaping amplification, charge integration, peak detection, discrimination, gating and data reduction directly in firmware, DPP enables compact, synchronized and highly scalable acquisition architectures for nuclear and particle physics, radiation detection and applied instrumentation.

Different DPP algorithms target specific measurement requirements: pulse-height analysis for energy spectroscopy, charge integration and pulse-shape discrimination for scintillation detectors and neutron/gamma separation, and zero-suppressed waveform acquisition for large-channel experiments. These firmware options are tightly integrated with CAEN digitizer families and controlled through advanced software environments, enabling multi-board synchronization, coincidence logic, list-mode acquisition and high-throughput data reduction within a unified digital framework.

  • FPGA-based digital replacement of traditional analog chains (QDC, shaping amplifiers, discriminators, peak-sensing ADCs and gate generators)

  • Multiple firmware algorithms: Pulse Height Analysis (PHA), Charge Integration & Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD), and Zero Length Encoding (ZLE) for waveform compression

  • Multi-board synchronization and coincidence capabilities for scalable detector arrays and complex experiments

  • Fully integrated with CAEN digitizers and CoMPASS software for multiparametric acquisition, real-time analysis and list-mode data processing

Digital Pulse Processing (DPP) Models

Grid Compare
DPP-PHA

DPP-PHA

  • Digital solution equivalent to Shaping Amplifier and Peak Sensing ADC

  • Trapezoidal Filter for Pulse Height Analysis

  • Supported by:

    • CAEN CoMPASS Software
FW2495SC

FW2495SC

  • Up to 160 Channel Latching Scaler

  • Up to 200 MHz of counting frequency

  • 64-bit channel depth
FW1495SC

FW1495SC

  • Up to 128 Channel Latching Scaler

  • 250 MHz maximum counting frequency

  • 32 bit channel depth
DPP-SUP

DPP-SUP

  • DPP-SUP License covers different CAEN DPP firmware on a single digitizer

  • The license is available for 725, 730, 2740-45, 2730 and 2751 digitizer series

  • DPP Algorithms licensed:

    • Pulse Height Analysis (DPP-PHA)
DPP-QDC

DPP-QDC

  • Digital solution equivalent to Single Gate QDC + Discriminator + Gate Generator

  • Runs only on x740D models

  • Single gate integration for Energy spectra calculation
DPP-DAW

DPP-DAW

  • Independent channel self-trigger

  • Automatic adjustment of the acquisition window length to match the actual input pulse duration

  • User defined minimum record length and pre-trigger for a complete event reconstruction
DPP-ZLEPLUS

DPP-ZLEPLUS

  • Enhanced Zero Suppression of input signals

  • Input signal baseline calculation

  • ZLE Threshold (two values for 751 series)
DPP-PSD

DPP-PSD

  • Digital solution equivalent to Dual Gate QDC + Discriminator + Gate Generator

  • Implemented in the digitizer families:

    • 720 (12-bit @ 250 MS/s)

    • 725 (14-bit @ 250 MS/s)
Image
Name
Description
Software
Features
Related Modules
DPP-PHA

DPP-PHA

Digital Pulse Processing for the Pulse Height Analysis

MC2Analyzer, Compass

ICH (Independent channels), WV (Waveforms), TS (Timestamp), PHA (Pulse Height Analysis), TDC (Time to Digital Converter) except 724

724, 725, 730, 740, 745 Digitizer families
FW2495SC

FW2495SC

128 Channels Latching Scaler for V2495 and DT5495

N.A.

64-128 ch. (32-bit depth) 250 MHZ scaler

V2945, DT5495
FW1495SC

FW1495SC

128 Channels latching Scaler Firmware for V1495

N.A.

64-128 ch. (32-bit depth) 200 MHZ scaler

V1495
DPP-SUP

DPP-SUP

Super Licence for CAEN Digitizers

N.A.

DPP-SUP License covers different CAEN DPP firmware on a single digitizer

725, 730, 740, 745, 2740, 2745, 2730, 2751 Digitizer families
DPP-QDC

DPP-QDC

Digital Pulse Processing for Charge Integration in High Density Systems

Compass

ICH (Independent channels), WV (Waveforms), TS (Timestamp), QDC (Charge to Digital Converter)

740D Digitizer familiy
DPP-DAW

DPP-DAW

Digital Pulse Processing with Dynamic Acquisition Window

DPP-DAW Demo Software

ICH (Independent channels), WV (Waveforms), TS (Timestamp), DAW (Dynamic Acquisition Window)

724, 725, 730 Digitizer families
DPP-ZLEPLUS

DPP-ZLEPLUS

Digital Pulse Processing for the Zero Length Encoding

DPP-ZLEplus Demo Software

WV (Waveforms), TS (Timestamp), ZS (Zero Suppression)

725, 730, 740, 745, 751 Digitizer families
DPP-PSD

DPP-PSD

Digital Pulse Processing for Charge Integration and Pulse Shape Discrimination

Compass

ICH (Independent channels), WV (Waveforms), TS (Timestamp), TDC (Time to Digital Converter), QDC (Charge to Digital Converter), CFD (Constant Fraction Discriminator), PSD (Pulse Shape Discrimination)

720, 725, 730, 751, 740, 745 Digitizer families