Readout chain validation of INFN modules for the CTA-pSCT camera

The Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) is currently involved in the R&D for the integration of Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) in the focal plane camera for the prototype of the Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) proposed to integrate the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory. High density FBK SiPMs optimized for the detection of Near Ultraviolet Cherenkov light (NUV-HD) will be used to equip the camera, coupled to the TARGET-7 readout electronics. A first production of 9 INFN modules is being tested and will be installed on the focal plane of the pSCT camera. Each module consists of 64 6 mm × 6 mm pixels, based on 40?m×40?m microcells, arranged in 16-pixel matrices. The front-end electronics is based on the TARGET-7 ASIC, a 16-channel chip for sampling and digitization of the signal. Here we report measurements of the performances of the complete readout chain, including results regarding homogeneity in terms of gain and signal-to-noise ratio.