Performance of irradiated thin n-in-p planar pixel sensors for the ATLAS Inner Tracker upgrade

Abstract

The ATLAS collaboration will replace its tracking detector with new all silicon pixel and strip systems. This will allow to cope with the higher radiation and occupancy levels expected after the 5-fold increase in the luminosity of the LHC accelerator complex (HL-LHC). In the new tracking detector (ITk) pixel modules with increased granularity will implement to maintain the occupancy with a higher track density. In addition, both sensors and read-out chips composing the hybrid modules will be produced employing more radiation hard technologies with respect to the present pixel detector. Due to their outstanding performance in terms of radiation hardness, thin n-in-p sensors are promising candidates to instrument a section of the new pixel system. Recently produced and developed sensors of new designs will be presented. To test the sensors before interconnection to chips, a punch-through biasing structure was implemented. Its design was optimized to decrease the possible tracking efficiency losses observed. After irradiation, they were caused by the punch-through biasing structure. A sensor compatible with the ATLAS FE-I4 chip with a pixel size of 50×250 μm2, subdivided into smaller pixel implants of 30×30 μm2 size was designed to investigate the performance of the 50×50 μm2 pixel cells foreseen for the HL-LHC. Results on sensor performance of 50×250 and 50×50 μm2 pixel cells in terms of efficiency, charge collection and electric field properties are obtained with beam tests and the Transient Current Technique.