  The SAMpler for PICosecond time (SAMPIC) chip has been designed by a
collaboration including CEA/IRFU/SEDI, Saclay and CNRS/LAL/SERDI, Orsay. It
benefits from both the quick response of a time to digital converter and the
versatility of a waveform digitizer to perform accurate timing measurements.
Thanks to the sampled signals, smart algorithms making best use of the pulse
shape can be used to improve time resolution. A software framework has been
developed to analyse the SAMPIC output data and extract timing information by
using either a constant fraction discriminator or a fast cross-correlation
algorithm. SAMPIC timing capabilities together with the software framework have
been tested using pulses generated by a signal generator or by a silicon
detector illuminated by a pulsed infrared laser. Under these ideal experimental
conditions, the SAMPIC chip has proven to be capable of timing resolutions down
to 4 ps with synthesized signals and 40 ps with silicon detector signals.
