Ion-implanted capacitively coupled silicon strip detectors with integrated polysilicon bias resistors processed on a 100 mm wafer

Double-sided silicon strip detectors with integrated coupling capacitors and polysilicon resistors have been processed on a 100 mm wafer. A detector with an active area of 19 × 19 mm² was connected to LSI readout electronics and tested. The strip pitch of the detector is 25 μm on the p-side and 50 μm on the n-side. The readout pitch is 50 μm on both sides. The number of readout strips is 774 and the total number of strips is 1161. On the p-side a signal-to-noise of 35 has been measured using a ⁹⁰Sr β-source. The n-side has been studied using a laser.     

High impedance discrete delay-line readout circuit for silicon strip detector

A prototype 16-tap high impedance discrete delay-line readout circuit has been designed and fabricated for Si-strip detectors suitable for nuclear physics experiments involving moderate count rate applications. The delay-line offers a delay of 30 ns per tap with very good linearity. The energy resolution for -particles from ²⁴¹Am²³⁹Pu source is found to be satisfactory, when 16 strips are connected through the above readout circuit of a 32-strip Si-strip detector having a dead layer of 5 μm. This readout system is very useful where a large number of detectors are integrated in a compact space and accommodating their readout electronics is a cumbersome task.     

Measurements on a GaAs microstrip detector with 50 GeV/c electrons

A microstrip gallium arsenide detector (thickness 508 μm, strip width 100 μm, strip pitch and readout pitch 200 μm) has been tested in a 50 GeV/c electron beam at CERN. Using the low noise Viking preamplifier chip (shaping time 1.5 μs) signal to noise ratios up to 25 were measured depending on bias voltage and angle of incidence. Applying the so-called η-algorithm (using the impact position-sensitive charge sharing between adjacent strips) a resolution down to σ 20 μm could be obtained.     

VIKING, a CMOS low noise monolithic 128 channel frontend for Si-strip detector readout

A low noise Si-strip detector readout chip has been designed and built in 1.5 μm CMOS technology. The chip is optimized w.r.t. noise. Measurements with this chip connected to several silicon strip detectors are presented. A noise performance of ENC = 135 e⁻ + 12 e⁻/pF and signal to noise ratios between 40–80, depending on the detector, for minimum ionizing particles traversing silicon has been achieved.     

CD: A double sided silicon strip detector for radioactive nuclear beam experiments

A very compact double sided silicon strip detector array is described, designed for use in reaction studies involving radioactive nuclear beams. It is small enough to fit inside a large solid angle γ-detector array and will enable Doppler-shift corrections at energies in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. The detector provides sufficient energy and time-of-flight resolution for the identification of light reaction products and can be set up to cover a substantial part of the scattering angular distribution with good resolution.

The device is available in thicknesses of up to 500 μm to stop all interesting reaction products. Moreover, a very thin (35–40 μm) variant of this detector is described that can be used as an energy loss detector in a ΔE−E telescope geometry followed by a detector that measures the residual energy. This provides additional particle identification capabilities, e.g. in light exotic nuclei induced reactions. First results from a commissioning run using a post-accelerated radioactive beam are presented.     

Readout electronics for the vertex chamber of the TOPAZ detector at TRISTAN, KEK

A vertex chamber has been designed and constructed for the TOPAZ detector at TRISTAN, KEK. The chamber is a jet-cell-type chamber aimed at a position resolution of 30–50 μm and a double-track separation of less than 1 mm. In this article the design and performance of the readout electronics for the TOPAZ vertex chamber are described. 10 ns signal shaping with a rise time of 5 ns has been achieved.     

CHICSi—a compact ultra-high vacuum compatible detector system for nuclear reaction experiments at storage rings. II. Detectors

We describe the detectors for identification of charged particles and fragments in CHICSi, a large solid angle multi-telescope system mounted inside an ultra-high vacuum (UHV), cluster-jet target chamber. CHICSi performs nuclear reaction experiments at storage rings. The telescopes consist of a first very thin, 10–14 μm Si detector, a second 300 μm (or possibly 500 μm) ion implanted Si detector supplemented by a 6 mm GSO(Ce) scintillator read out by a photodiode (PD) or by a third 300 μm Si detector. The telescopes provide full charge separation up to Z=17 and mass resolution up to A=9 in the energy range 0.7–60A MeV. The thin p-i-n diode detector, etched out from a 280 μm Si wafer, and the GSO/PD detector, both exclusively developed for CHICSi, provide an energy resolution 8%, while the standard 300 μm detectors have 2% energy resolution. Radiation stability of the Si detectors is confirmed up to an integrated flux of 10¹⁰ alpha particles. The GSO detector has 70% light collection efficiency with the optical coupling to the PD a simple open, 0.2 mm, gap. A new method, developed to perform absolute energy calibration for the GSO/PD detector is presented.     

A digital X-ray imaging system based on silicon strip detectors working in edge-on configuration

We present the energy resolution and imaging performance of a digital X-ray imaging system based on a 512-strip silicon strip detector (SSD) working in the edge-on configuration. The SSDs tested in the system are 300 μm thick with 1 or 2-cm-long strips and 100 μm pitch. To ensure a very small dead area of the SSD working in edge-on configuration, the detector is cut perpendicular to the strips at a distance of only 20 μm from the end of the strips. The 512-strip silicon detector is read out by eight 64-channel integrated circuits called DEDIX [Grybos et al., IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. NS-54 (2007) 1207]. The DEDIX IC operates in a single photon counting mode with two independent amplitude discriminators per channel. The readout electronic channel connected to a detector with effective input capacitance of about 2 pF has an average equivalent noise charge (ENC) of about 163 el. rms and is able to count 1 Mcps of average rate of input pulses. The system consisting of 512 channels has an excellent channel-to-channel uniformity—the effective threshold spread calculated to the charge-sensitive amplifier inputs is 12 el. rms (at one sigma level). With this system a few test images of a phantom have been taken in the 10–30 keV energy range.     

Edge sensitivity of “edgeless” silicon pad detectors measured in a high-energy beam

We report measurements in a high-energy beam of the sensitivity of the edge region in “edgeless” planar silicon pad diode detectors. The edgeless side of these rectangular diodes is formed by a cut and break through the contact implants. A large surface current on such an edge prevents the normal reverse biasing of this device above the full depletion voltage, but we have shown that the current can be sufficiently reduced by the use of a suitable cutting method, followed by edge treatment, and by operating the detector at a low temperature. A pair of these edgeless silicon diode pad sensors was exposed to the X5 high-energy pion beam at CERN, to determine the edge sensitivity. The signal of the detector pair triggered a reference telescope made of silicon microstrip detector modules. The gap width between the edgeless sensors, determined using the tracks measured by the reference telescope, was then compared with the results of precision metrology. It was concluded that the depth of the dead layer at the diced edge is compatible with zero within the statistical precision of ±8 μm and systematic error of ±6 μm.     

Infrared light charge injector as a tool for the study of silicon detectors

In order to study the local response of silicon strip detectors, we have developed a local charge generator using near-infrared ligh emitting diode. The edge properties of the strip detectors were studied precisely with this tool. In the case of our tested detector, the lateral extension of the depletion area was measured to be about 120 μm at a bias voltage of 40 V.     

A silicon active target for charm particle identification

A silicon active target has been realized to reconstruct with high efficiency the primary vertex of heavy flavour photoproduction events in experiment E687 at the FNAL tevatron. The target is a telescope of 48 layers divided in 4 elements each, giving a total of 192 electronic channels read out with a preamplifier, an amplifier and a charge integrating ADC. The efficiency of the detector in identifying primary vertices has been measured to be 80%, while the longitudinal resolution turned out to be σ 340 μm. Its level of performance allowed the use of the target as a powerful tool to select heavy quark events.     

A large area liquid scintillation multiphoton detector

A 60 layer lead-liquid scintillator shower detector, which we call the SLIC, has been used for multiphoton detection in the Fermilab tagged photon spectrometer. The detector has an unimpeded active area which is 2.44 m by 4.88 m and is segmented, by means of teflon coated channels, into 3.17 cm wide strips. The 60 layers in depth are broken into three directions of alternating readouts so that three position coordinates are determined for each shower. At present the readouts are made by 334 photomultiplier tubes coupled to BBQ doped wavelength shifter bars which integrate the entire depth of the detector. It is relatively straightforward to increase the number of readouts to include longitudinal segmentation and to increase the segmentation of the outer region which are at present read out two strips to a readout. The energy and position resolutions of isolated showers are about and 3 mm., respectively. The SLIC has been used to study the K⁻π⁺π⁰ decay of the D⁰ [1], as well as for electron and muon identification in ψ → e⁺e⁻ and ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ plus π⁰ identification in γp → ψχ [8].     

Hypervelocity impact testing of micrometeorite capture cells in conjunction with a PVDF thin-film velocity/trajectory sensor and a simple plasma velocity detector

Five different small particle capture cell designs were evaluated for their ability to capture fragments and residue from 10–200 μm diameter glass projectiles and oblong olivine crystals impacting at 1–15 km/s in sufficient quantity for chemical and isotopic analyses. Aluminum multi-foils (0.1–100 μm thick with ≈10, 000 and 1800 μm spacing), foil covered germanium crystals, and 0.50 and 0.120 g/cm³ Aerogels, were positioned behind either multi-film (1.4–6.0 μm thick) polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) velocity/trajectory sensor devices of a simple wire-grid plasma velocity detector. All capture cells collected significant amounts of impactor debris behind the PVDF sensors from nominal 100 μm diameter glass projectiles and olivine crystals which struck the sensor at velocities up to 6.4 km/s. At velocities >8 km/s little or no debris penetrated the second PVDF film. Results were incolsive for velocities between 6.5 and 8 km/s. Plasma detector results showed identifiable impactor residue on Al foils for velocities up to 8.7 km/s and impact tracks with apparent debris imbedded in the Aerogels for velocities up to 12.7 km/s. Maximum foil penetration of glass spheres and olivine crystals were the same, but more particulate debris was associated with olivine crystal ipacts versus glass impacts. Foil spacing beyond one particle diameter had no effect on total penetration. Aerogels are identified as a capture cell media that warrants further investigation. The Al multi-foil capture cell with 100 μm net spacers is identified as the most effective of the other designs and offers the advantages of compact structure, low secondary ejecta from impacts, and easy recovery of impactor debris for analysis.     

The Indiana silicon sphere 4π charged-particle detector array

A low threshold charged particle detector array for the study of fragmentation processes in light-ion-induced reactions has been constructed and successfully implemented at the IUCF and Saturne II accelerators. The array consists of 162-triple-element detector telescopes mounted in a spherical geometry and covering 74% of 4π in solid angle. Telescope elements are composed of (1) an axial-field gas ionization chamber operated with C₃F₈ gas; (2) a 0.5 mm thick passivated silicon detector, and (3) a 2.8 cm thick CsI(Tl) scintillation crystal with photodiode readout. Discrete element identification is obtained for ejectiles up to Z 16 over the dynamic range 0.7 ≤ E/A ≤ 95 MeV/nucleon. Isotopes are also distinguished for H, He, Li and Be ejectiles with 8 E/A 95 MeV. Custom-designed electronics are employed for bias supplies and linear signal processing. Data are acquired via a CAMAC/VME/Ethernet system.     

Results from the ORPHEUS dark matter detector

The ORPHEUS dark matter detector consists of 450 g superconducting tin granules with diameters of 28 and 36 μm. The detector has been operating in the shallow site of the underground laboratory in Bern (70 m.w.e). First preliminary results on WIMP detection sensitivity will be presented.     

Simultaneous Determination of Metronidazole Benzoate Methylparaben, and Propylparaben by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

The simultaneous determination of metronidazole benzoate (MB), methylparaben (MP), and propylparaben (PP) in an oral suspension formulation was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The method was developed using a Novapak C₁₈ (3.9 × 150 mm, 4 μm) column, methanol-water (50:50, v/v) as the mobile phase and an ultraviolet (UV) detector at 254 nm. The peak area response versus concentration was linear in a concentration range from 40 to 400 μg/ml of MB, 0.8 to 8.0 μg/ml of MP, and 0.2 to 2.0 μg of PP. The correlation coefficients were 0.9997 for MB, 0.9987 for MP, and 0.9983 for PP, with relative standard errors of 1.12%, 1.28%, and 1.67%, respectively.     

A high resolution silicon beam telescope

We describe the design and present the performances of a charged particle telescope used for high resolution silicon pixel developments. A telescope made of four x and four y single-sided silicon microstrip layers was built, providing an r.m.s. position resolution of 1 μm for high energy charged particles. A signal over noise ratio of 130 was achieved with minimum ionizing particles.     

Design and performance of the SLD vertex detector: a 307 Mpixel tracking system

This paper describes the design, construction, and initial operation of SLD's upgraded vertex detector which comprises 96 two-dimensional charge-coupled devices (CCDs) with a total of 307 Mpixel. Each pixel functions as an independent particle detecting element, providing space point measurements of charged particle tracks with a typical precision of 4 μm in each co-ordinate. The CCDs are arranged in three concentric cylinders just outside the beam-pipe which surrounds the e⁺e⁻ collision point of the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC). The detector is a powerful tool for distinguishing displaced vertex tracks, produced by decay in flight of heavy flavour hadrons or tau leptons, from tracks produced at the primary event vertex. The requirements for this detector include a very low mass structure (to minimize multiple scattering) both for mechanical support and to provide signal paths for the CCDs; operation at low temperature with a high degree of mechanical stability; and high speed CCD readout, signal processing, and data sparsification. The lessons learned in achieving these goals should be useful for the construction of large arrays of CCDs or active pixel devices in the future in a number of areas of science and technology.     

The analytical solution of the contact problem of spherical indenters on layered materials: application for the investigation of TiN films on silicon

Utilising an analytical solution of the contact problem of spherical indentation into layered materials we investigated TiN layers of various thicknesses on single-crystal silicon. We used Heaviside functions to describe the discontinuity of the mechanical parameters at the interface of the TiN-silicon compound. A spherical 5 μm diamond indenter was used to obtain the penetration depth-force curves. In spite of this small indenter we only obtained good utilizable results for film thicknesses of more than 0.8 μm. For thinner films the influence of failure effects such as roughness of the film, not an exactly known film thickness and substrate parameters, deviation of the shape of the diamond indenter from the ideal spherical one and the failure caused by the indentation apparatus themselves becomes too influential. Thus, here we show an investigation of a 1.4 and an 0.8 μm TiN layer on silicon including calculation of the films Young's modulus and the stresses, and for an 0.4 and an 0.2 μm TiN layer on silicon a stress calculation only using estimated Young's moduli from the thicker films. We paid special attention to the investigation of the non-elastic behaviour of the compounds utilising the von-Mises criterion.     

Intense visible photoluminescence from coloured LiF films on silicon

Lithium fluoride films, about 1.5 μm thick, thermally evaporated onto silicon <100> substrates were subjected to low energy electron bombardment. Intense photoluminescence, extending from green to red in the visible spectral range was measured at room temperature in the irradiated areas, due to the presence of the laser active F₂ and F₃⁺ colour centres.