The level-1 trigger for the SuperCDMS experiment at SNOLAB

The SuperCDMS SNOLAB dark matter search experiment aims to be sensitive to energy depositions down to O (1 eV). This imposes requirements on the resolution, signal efficiency, and noise rejection of the trigger system. To accomplish this, the SuperCDMS level-1 trigger system is implemented in an FPGA on a custom PCB. A time-domain optimal filter algorithm realized as a finite impulse response filter provides a baseline resolution of 0.38 times the standard deviation of the noise, sigma(n), and a 99.9% trigger efficiency for signal amplitudes of 1.1 sigma(n )in typical noise conditions. Embedded in a modular architecture, flexible trigger logic enables reliable triggering and vetoing in a dead-time-free manner for a variety of purposes and run conditions. The trigger architecture and performance are detailed in this article.