Fully Depleted Monolithic Active Microstrip Sensors: TCAD Simulation Study of an Innovative Design Concept

Cilladi, Lorenzo de; Corradino, Thomas; Betta, G.-F. Dalla; Neubüser, C.; Pancheri, Lucio

doi:10.3390/s21061990

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…In addition, cosmic ray heavy ions can present extremely high LET values such as the levels of interest for electronics reliability which are in the range of 1 − 100 MeVcm 2 /mg [20], [21]. Numerous simulations and measurements have been conducted on previous MAPS arrays showing their suitability for detection of particles with low LET levels (∼ 1 keVcm 2 /mg) (for example [22], [23], [24]), but there are no robust studies of a monolithic pixel sensor intended for classification at such high LET ranges.…”

Section: Device Structure and Tcad Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Monolithic Pixel Sensor for Heavy Ion Spectroscopy—Pixel Structure Design and Optimization

et al. 2023

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Detection and classification of cosmic particles is essential for many scientific and engineering applications. Currently available heavy ion detectors necessitate an external readout integrated circuit when conducting both measurements of particle energy deposition and particle incident position. In this paper, we propose an innovative monolithic pixel detector topology capable of distinguishing between particles in a predefined LET range. The analog and digital readout circuitry are incorporated into the pixel region while maintaining almost an 100% detection fill factor over the entire pixel array. We present comprehensive CAD 3D simulations of the device to verify the applicability of the detector for galactic cosmic rays with the specified LET levels and induced charge distribution. We evaluate the charge collection performance under heavy-ion hit conditions and provide an assessment of the impact on charge collection from the particle impinging position, particle LET, angle of penetration and circuit bias. The results indicate a linear relationship between particle LET and collected charge, regardless of the ion hit position and almost independent of the circuit voltage bias. The simulation results for various particle incident angles show correlations between charge collection and particle trajectory length. We propose an implementation which makes it possible to determine the particle angle of penetration and particle LET attributes. The radiation tolerance of the sensor was estimated. Its applicability to the non-ionizing radiation environment was shown to be adequate for low Earth orbits.

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Section: Device Structure and Tcad Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Monolithic Pixel Sensor for Heavy Ion Spectroscopy—Pixel Structure Design and Optimization

et al. 2023

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“…Sector 3 expresses a larger noise level than sector 2, which is intuitively not expected. A possible explanation could be an increased depletion voltage due to the larger pwell (as seen in simulation studies [3,4]), which might differ between measurements and simulations due to uncertainties in the lateral spreading of implanted regions of about ±1 μm. A higher depletion voltage would increase the pixel capacitance at a fixed backside voltage thus result in a larger noise level.…”

Section: Matisse Chipmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This prototype has arrived in May 2021 and is currently under test, together with additional test structures of pixel and strip arrays with different pitches and sensor geometries. In preparation of this first engineering run the sensor design has been studied in detail in extensive simulation campaigns [3,4]. These were conducted in order to select most promising designs for low in-pixel capacitance and fast charge collection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of X-ray induced radiation damage on FD-MAPS of the ARCADIA project

et al. 2022

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Recent advancements in Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) demonstrated the ability to operate in high radiation environments of up to multiple kGy’s, which increased their appeal as sensors for high-energy physics detectors. The most recent example in such application is the new ALICE inner tracking system, entirely instrumented with CMOS MAPS, that covers an area of about 10 m2. However, the full potential of such devices has not yet been fully exploited, especially in respect of the size of the active area, power consumption, and timing capabilities. The ARCADIA project is developing Fully Depleted (FD) MAPS with an innovative sensor design, that uses a proprietary processing of the backside to improve the charge collection efficiency and timing over a wide range of operational and environmental conditions. The innovative sensor design targets very low power consumption, of the order of 20 mW cm−2 at 100 MHz cm−2 hit flux, to enable air-cooled operations of the sensors. Another key design parameter is the ability to further reduce the power regime of the sensor, down to 5 mW cm−2 or better, for low hit rates like e.g. expected in space experiments. In this contribution, we present a comparison between the detector characteristics predicted with Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulations and the ones measured experimentally. The comparison focuses on the current-voltage (IV) and capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics, as well as noise estimated from in-pixel capacitances of passive/active pixel matrices. In view of the targeted applications of this technology, an emphasis is set on the modeling of X-ray induced radiation damage at the Si-SiO2 interface and the impact on the in-pixel sensor capacitance. The so-called new Perugia model has been used in the simulations to predict the sensor performance after total ionizing doses of up to 10 Mrad.

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“…This prototype has undergone electrical testing, and proven its functionality to detect cosmic rays as well as electrons and alpha particles from Sr 90 and Am 241 sources. In preparation of the production runs, different sensor geometries have been studied in detail in simulations [3,4]. These were conducted in order to select the most promising designs for low in-pixel capacitance and fast charge collection and realised in test-structures of passive pixel and strip arrays.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First characterization results of ARCADIA FD-MAPS after X-ray irradiation

et al. 2023

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The ARCADIA collaboration is developing fully-depleted (FD) Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) in a 110 nm CMOS process in collaboration with LFoundry. The sensor design incorporates an n+ collection node within a n-type epi-layer on top of a high-resistivity n-type substrate and p+ backside. Thus, the pn-junction sits on the backside and through an applied backside bias, the full substrate gets depleted. The targeted applications of this technology range from future high energy physics experiments to space applications, and medical and industrial scanners. Together, these applications set the minimum requirements on the detector: data collection at hit rates of (10–100) MHz/cm2, full signal processing within (1–10) μs, maximum power consumption (5–20) mW/cm2 and radiation tolerances of up to 3.4 Mrad or 6.2 × 1012 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence. In order to proof the performance of the technology, a demonstrator chip of 512 × 512 pixels with 25 μm pitch was designed and fabricated in a first engineering run in 2021, together with additional test structures of pixel and strip arrays with different pitches and sensor geometries. The production run has produced functional passive and active pixel matrices. Earlier studies have shown that positive oxide charges and traps at the Si-SiO2 interface, introduced by ionising radiation, affect the depletion region around the collection electrode, increasing the pixel capacitance. By varying the gap size between collection node and pwells, the geometry can be optimised to keep the capacitance low also after irradiation. To study the performance after irradiation, of the optimised diode designs, the passive pixel matrices were irradiated with doses up to 10 Mrad (SiO2) using a X-ray tube with a Tungsten anode. The measurements are complemented by TCAD simulations. The maximum capacitance increase after irradiation was found to reach 6 and 12 fF/pixel for pixel pitches of 25 and 50 μm, respectively. The relative capacitance increase after irradiation has hereby been found to reach up to 250% after a dose of 10 Mrad.

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Fully Depleted Monolithic Active Microstrip Sensors: TCAD Simulation Study of an Innovative Design Concept

Cited by 9 publications

References 43 publications

Toward a Monolithic Pixel Sensor for Heavy Ion Spectroscopy—Pixel Structure Design and Optimization

Toward a Monolithic Pixel Sensor for Heavy Ion Spectroscopy—Pixel Structure Design and Optimization

Impact of X-ray induced radiation damage on FD-MAPS of the ARCADIA project

First characterization results of ARCADIA FD-MAPS after X-ray irradiation

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