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 Mpixels. 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 coordinate. 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.

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