Hardware and Software Implementation of a Radio Frequency High-Speed Data Conversion Unit for Digital Control Systems

Digital control systems are always preferable where precision and flexibility matter. This thesis describes the construction and implementation of a radio frequency high-speed interface for use in a variety of applications in the heavy ion accelerator facility at GSI Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung GmbH in Darmstadt, Germany. In this work, the author tries to shed light on some considerations concerning the design of such an interface. Hardware design has been detailed along with problems and achievements during the construction phase. Using the hardware description language VHDL, the author implements and explains the steps needed to build a communication link between the design and the host system. The last chapters portray the outcomes and contemplations for improvements and corrections of the design for the future revisions.