We propose a new experimental method to probe the photon parton distribution function inside the proton (photon PDF) at LHC energies. The method is based on the measurement of dilepton production ...from the γp→ℓ+ℓ−+X reaction in proton-lead collisions. These experimental conditions guarantee a clean environment, both in terms of reconstruction of the final state and in terms of possible background. We first calculate the cross sections for this process with collinear photon PDFs, where we identify the optimal choice of the scale, in analogy to deep inelastic scattering kinematics. We then perform calculations including the transverse-momentum dependence of the probed photon. Finally, we estimate rates of the process for the existing LHC data samples.
In this article, a low-power, radiation-hard front-end circuit for monolithic pixel sensors, designed to meet the requirements of low noise and low pixel-to-pixel variability, the key features to ...achieve high detection efficiencies, is presented. The sensor features a small collection electrode to achieve a small capacitance (<5 fF) and allows full CMOS in-pixel circuitry. The circuit is implemented in the 180-nm CMOS imaging technology from the TowerJazz foundry and integrated into the MALTA2 chip, which is part of a development that targets the specifications of the outer pixel layer of the ATLAS Inner Tracker upgrade at the LHC. One of the main challenges for monolithic sensors is a radiation hardness up to 10 15 1-MeV <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\text {n}_{\text {eq}}/\text {cm}^{{2}} </tex-math></inline-formula> non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL) and 80 Mrad total ionizing dose (TID) required for this application. Tests up to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">{3} \cdot {10}^{15} </tex-math></inline-formula> 1-MeV <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\text {n}_{\text {eq}}/\text {cm}^{{2}} </tex-math></inline-formula> and 100 Mrad were performed on the MALTA2 sensor and front-end circuit, which still show good performance even after these levels of irradiation, promising for even more demanding applications such as the future experiments at the high-luminosity large hadron collider (HL-LHC).
The upgrade of the tracking detectors for the High Luminosity-LHC (HL-LHC) requires the development of novel radiation hard silicon sensors. The development of Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel ...Sensors targets the replacement of hybrid pixel detectors with radiation hard monolithic CMOS sensors. We designed, manufactured and tested radiation hard monolithic CMOS sensors in the TowerJazz 180 nm CMOS imaging technology with small electrodes pixel designs. These designs can achieve pixel pitches well below current hybrid pixel sensors (typically 50 × 50μm) for improved spatial resolution. Monolithic sensors in our design allow to reduce multiple scattering by thinning to a total silicon thickness of only 50μm. Furthermore monolithic CMOS sensors can substantially reduce detector costs. These well-known advantages of CMOS sensor for performance and costs can only be exploited in pp-collisions at HL-LHC if the DMAPS sensors are designed to be radiation hard, capable of high hit rates and have a fast signal response to satisfy the 25 ns bunch crossing structure of LHC. Through the development of the MALTA and Mini-MALTA sensors we show the necessary steps to achieve radiation hardness at 1015 neq/cm2 for DMAPS with small electrode designs. The sensors combine high granularity (pitch 36.4x36.4μm2), low detector capacitance (<5fF/pixel) of the charge collection electrode (3μm), low noise (ENC≈10 e−) and low power operation (1μW/pixel) with a fast signal response (25 ns bunch crossing). The sensors feature arrays of 512 × 512 (MALTA) and 16 × 64 (Mini-MALTA) pixels. To cope with high hit rates expected at HL-LHC (>200 MHz/cm2) we have implemented a novel high-speed asynchronous readout architecture. The paper summarises the optimisation of the pixel design to achieve radiation hard pixel designs with full efficiency after irradiation at >98% after 1015 neq/cm2).
MALTA monolithic pixel sensors in TowerJazz 180 nm technology Solans Sánchez, C.; Allport, P.; Asensi Tortajada, I. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
12/2023, Volume:
1057
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors are of highest interest at the HL-LHC and beyond for the replacement of the Pixel trackers in the outermost layers of experiments where the requirement on ...total area and cost effectiveness is much bigger. They aim to provide high granularity and low material budget over large surfaces with ease of integration. Our research focuses on MALTA, a radiation hard DMAPS with small collection electrode designed in TowerJazz 180 nm CMOS imaging technology and asynchronous read-out. Latest prototypes are radiation hard up to 2 × 1015 1 MeV neq/cm2 with a time resolution better than 2 ns.
The MALTA monolithic silicon pixel sensors have been used to study dicing and thinning of monolithic silicon pixel detectors for large area and low mass modules. Dicing as close as possible to the ...active circuitry will allow to build modules with very narrow inactive regions between the sensors. Inactive edge regions of less than 5μ m to the electronic circuitry could be achieved for 100μm thick sensors. The MALTA chip (Cardella et al., 2019) also offers the possibility to transfer data and power directly from chip to chip. Tests have been carried out connecting two MALTA chips directly using ultrasonic wedge wire bonding. Results from lab tests show that the data accumulated in one chip can be transferred via the second chip to the readout system, without the need of a flexible circuit to route the signals. The concept of chip to chip data and power transfer to achieve low mass modules has also been studied on prototype wafers using Cu-stud interconnection bridges. First results are presented, outlining technical challenges and possible future steps to achieve a low mass large area monolithic pixel sensor module.
The last couple of years have seen the development of Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (DMAPS) fabricated in TowerJazz 180nm with a process modification to increase the radiation tolerance. ...While many of MAPS developments focus on low radiation environment, we have taken the development to high radiation environment like pp-experiments at High Luminosity LHC. DMAPS are a cost effective and lightweight alternative to state-of-the-art hybrid detectors if they can fulfil the given requirements for radiation hardness, signal response time and hit rate capability. The MALTA and Mini-MALTA sensors have shown excellent detection efficiency after irradiation to the life time dose expected at the outer layers of the ATLAS pixel tracker Upgrade. Our development focuses on providing large pixel matrixes with excellent time resolution (<2ns) and tracking. This publication will discuss characterisation results of the DMAPS devices with special focus on the new MALTA2 sensor and will show the path of future developments