Chapter 5
Solid State Detectors
G. Lutz and R. Klanner
5.1 Introduction
Semiconductor detectors, and in particular silicon detectors, are very well suited for
detection and measurement of light and of ionizing radiation caused by interaction
with charged particles and (X-ray) photons. Precise position, time and energy
measurement can be combined when use is made of the excellent intrinsic material
properties in well thought out detector concepts.
Development and large scale use of silicon detectors has been initiated by particle
physics. The discovery of the rare and short lived charmed particles lead to the
desire to use their decay topology as signature for identification and separation from
non-charm background. Detectors were required that combined very good position
measurement (in the range of several μm) with high rate capability (few hundred
kHz), a task not achievable with available detectors at that time.
Semiconductor detectors, in particular silicon and germanium detectors were
used for quite some time, but not too frequently, in Nuclear Physics for the
In the updated version a number of detector developments which took place after the publication
of the original version have been taken into account. These are in particular new sections on
Radiation Damage, 3-D Detectors, MAPS (Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors), SiPMs (Silicon
Photomultipliers) and Ultrafast Tracking Detectors (LGAD = Low Gain Avalanche Detectors).
In addition, the section Summary and Outlook has been updated.
The author G. Lutz is deceased at the time of publication.
G. Lutz
PNSensor GmbH and MPI-Halbleiterlabor, Munich, Germany
R. Klanner ()
Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
e-mail: robert.klanner@desy.de
© The Author(s) 2020
C. W. Fabjan, H. Schopper (eds.), Particle Physics Reference Library,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35318-6_5
137
Solid State Detectors
G. Lutz and R. Klanner
5.1 Introduction
Semiconductor detectors, and in particular silicon detectors, are very well suited for
detection and measurement of light and of ionizing radiation caused by interaction
with charged particles and (X-ray) photons. Precise position, time and energy
measurement can be combined when use is made of the excellent intrinsic material
properties in well thought out detector concepts.
Development and large scale use of silicon detectors has been initiated by particle
physics. The discovery of the rare and short lived charmed particles lead to the
desire to use their decay topology as signature for identification and separation from
non-charm background. Detectors were required that combined very good position
measurement (in the range of several μm) with high rate capability (few hundred
kHz), a task not achievable with available detectors at that time.
Semiconductor detectors, in particular silicon and germanium detectors were
used for quite some time, but not too frequently, in Nuclear Physics for the
In the updated version a number of detector developments which took place after the publication
of the original version have been taken into account. These are in particular new sections on
Radiation Damage, 3-D Detectors, MAPS (Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors), SiPMs (Silicon
Photomultipliers) and Ultrafast Tracking Detectors (LGAD = Low Gain Avalanche Detectors).
In addition, the section Summary and Outlook has been updated.
The author G. Lutz is deceased at the time of publication.
G. Lutz
PNSensor GmbH and MPI-Halbleiterlabor, Munich, Germany
R. Klanner ()
Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
e-mail: robert.klanner@desy.de
© The Author(s) 2020
C. W. Fabjan, H. Schopper (eds.), Particle Physics Reference Library,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35318-6_5
137