IceCube telescope: Extreme science meets extreme electronics

He noted that even if something goes wrong, the IceCube telescope “is unrecoverable, and can’t be repaired.” It’s “unlike the Hubble space telescope” which was serviced several times by shuttle astronauts, he added. “Essentially, we only have one chance to get this right.”

Because the electronics, once deployed in the ice, are inaccessible, extremely high reliability is the prerequisite for every component used inside the digital optical modules (DOMs).

DOM electronics include: a photomultiplier tube made by Hamamatsu; analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters and amplifiers from Analog Devices Inc.; a main board controlled by Altera’s FPGA with an embedded CPU based on an ARM 32-bit processor.

Inside the DOM, a very high voltage generator sits next to delicate CMOS circuitry, representing “another challenge for reliability,” explained Karle.

The IceCube project also uses racks full of computing cards located at the IceCube Laboratory. Since the lab is built on a surface of snow, electronics can be replaced and upgraded. Still, the reliability of such components is important because scientists may not be able to repair them in time. The warmest-weather working season is limited, from mid-November to mid-February.

In describing how extreme technology is required in the telescope design, Karle noted that the IceCube project wouldn’t have been possible without “collaboration with the electrical engineering community.”