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G. Lutz and R. Klanner
purpose of measuring particle and X-ray photon energies, not however for position
measurement. This task was left mostly to gas detectors and to scintillation
hodoscopes, both of them not able to provide the required position measurement
resolution.
It was realized rather soon that semiconductors offer in principle the required
capabilities and silicon strip detectors were developed and used for the detection
and investigation of charmed particles. This development rapidly increased in speed
and scope so that today it is rare to find particle physics experiments that do not
rely heavily on silicon strip detectors for particle tracking and identification. Strip
detectors have also entered many other fields of science. Important features of this
development were the introduction of more sophisticated detector concepts and the
development of multi-channel low noise-low power integrated readout electronics
adapted to the requirements of strip detectors.
A further challenge in particle tracking poses the ambiguities occurring in case of
high particle densities. This problem is alleviated considerably when replacing the
strip geometry by pixels. Hybrid pixel detectors became possible with the enormous
progress in miniaturization of electronics. Each pixel has its own readout channel.
Detector and electronics with matched geometry are connected face to face by
bump bonding. Recently Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS), pixel detectors
in which sensor and readout electronics are integrated on the same silicon chip, are
reaching maturity.
Although in the initial phase of this rapid development position measurement was
in the focus of interest, energy resolution with high readout speed came back to its
right, sometimes in combination with position resolution. This development opened
the door of semiconductor detectors in X-ray astronomy, synchrotron radiation
experiments and in many other fields.
A major step on this way was the invention by E. Gatti and P. Rehak of the
semiconductor drift chamber [1]. This concept also became the basis for further
new concepts as are the pnCCD [2], the silicon drift diode [3] and the DEPFET [3]
that forms the basis for several types of pixel detectors with rather unique properties.
In the last decade, a major progress in the field of silicon photo-detectors
took place: Multi-pixel avalanche photo diodes operating in the Geiger mode,
frequently called silicon photo-multipliers, SiPM, have been developed and found
many applications in research, medicine and industry.
In the following, detection principles and properties of the various detector types
will be described and some applications will be sketched. Emphasis is on detector
physics and concepts while it is impossible to cover all important activities in the
field. In addition, a short summary of radiation damage, which presents a major
challenge for the use of silicon detectors in the harsh radiation environment at
colliders, like at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, LHC, will be presented.
G. Lutz and R. Klanner
purpose of measuring particle and X-ray photon energies, not however for position
measurement. This task was left mostly to gas detectors and to scintillation
hodoscopes, both of them not able to provide the required position measurement
resolution.
It was realized rather soon that semiconductors offer in principle the required
capabilities and silicon strip detectors were developed and used for the detection
and investigation of charmed particles. This development rapidly increased in speed
and scope so that today it is rare to find particle physics experiments that do not
rely heavily on silicon strip detectors for particle tracking and identification. Strip
detectors have also entered many other fields of science. Important features of this
development were the introduction of more sophisticated detector concepts and the
development of multi-channel low noise-low power integrated readout electronics
adapted to the requirements of strip detectors.
A further challenge in particle tracking poses the ambiguities occurring in case of
high particle densities. This problem is alleviated considerably when replacing the
strip geometry by pixels. Hybrid pixel detectors became possible with the enormous
progress in miniaturization of electronics. Each pixel has its own readout channel.
Detector and electronics with matched geometry are connected face to face by
bump bonding. Recently Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS), pixel detectors
in which sensor and readout electronics are integrated on the same silicon chip, are
reaching maturity.
Although in the initial phase of this rapid development position measurement was
in the focus of interest, energy resolution with high readout speed came back to its
right, sometimes in combination with position resolution. This development opened
the door of semiconductor detectors in X-ray astronomy, synchrotron radiation
experiments and in many other fields.
A major step on this way was the invention by E. Gatti and P. Rehak of the
semiconductor drift chamber [1]. This concept also became the basis for further
new concepts as are the pnCCD [2], the silicon drift diode [3] and the DEPFET [3]
that forms the basis for several types of pixel detectors with rather unique properties.
In the last decade, a major progress in the field of silicon photo-detectors
took place: Multi-pixel avalanche photo diodes operating in the Geiger mode,
frequently called silicon photo-multipliers, SiPM, have been developed and found
many applications in research, medicine and industry.
In the following, detection principles and properties of the various detector types
will be described and some applications will be sketched. Emphasis is on detector
physics and concepts while it is impossible to cover all important activities in the
field. In addition, a short summary of radiation damage, which presents a major
challenge for the use of silicon detectors in the harsh radiation environment at
colliders, like at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, LHC, will be presented.