Development of Ultra Low-Temperature Electronics for the AEgIS Experiment

This thesis presents the development of electronics for operation at cryogenic temperatures, with particular emphasis on the cryogenic electronics required for the Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy (AEgIS) experiment at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). The research is focused on a highly sensitive charged particle detection system for a Penning trap, on cryogenic low-pass filters and on a low-loss DC-contact RF switch. The detection system consists of a high quality factor tuned circuit including a superconducting coil, and a low-noise amplifier. Since the experimental setup of the AEgIS experiment requires it, the developed electronics must reliably operate at 4.2 K (~269C) and in high constant magnetic field of more than 1 Tesla. Therefore, the performance of the cryogenic electronic designs were carefully evaluated at low-temperature/high magnetic field, the result of which have important implications for the AEgIS experiment. Moreover, a new possibility of replacing the superconducting coil by a very high quality factor crystal resonator is presented and its possible application in experiments with charged, trapped particles is described.