Properties of a radiation-induced charge multiplication region in epitaxial silicon diodes

Charge multiplication (CM) in p$^+$n epitaxial silicon pad diodes of 75, 100 and 150 \upmum thickness at high voltages after proton irradiation with 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluences in the order of $10^{16}$ cm$^{-2}$ was studied as an option to overcome the strong trapping of charge carriers in the innermost tracking region of future Super-LHC detectors. Charge collection efficiency (CCE) measurements using the Transient Current Technique (TCT) with radiation of different penetration (670, 830, 1060 nm laser light and $\alpha$-particles with optional absorbers) were used to locate the CM region close to the p$^+$-implantation. The dependence of CM on material, thickness of the epitaxial layer, annealing and temperature was studied. The collected charge in the CM regime was found to be proportional to the deposited charge, uniform over the diode area and stable over a period of several days. Randomly occurring micro discharges at high voltages turned out to be the largest challenge for operation of the diodes in the CM regime. Although at high voltages an increase of the TCT baseline noise was observed, the signal-to-noise ratio was found to improve due to CM for laser light. Possible effects on the charge spectra measured with laser light due to statistical fluctuations in the CM process were not observed. In contrast, the relative width of the spectra increased in the case of $\alpha$-particles, probably due to varying charge deposited in the CM region.Comment: 11 pages, accepted by NIM

Simulation study of signal formation in position sensitive planar p-on-n silicon detectors after short range charge injection

Segmented silicon detectors (micropixel and microstrip) are the main type of detectors used in the inner trackers of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN. Due to the high luminosity and eventual high fluence of energetic particles, detectors with fast response to fit the short shaping time of 20-25 ns and sufficient radiation hardness are required. Charge collection measurements carried out at the Ioffe Institute have shown a reversal of the pulse polarity in the detector response to short-range charge injection. Since the measured negative signal is about 30-60% of the peak positive signal, the effect strongly reduces the CCE even in non-irradiated detectors. For further investigation of the phenomenon the measurements have been reproduced by TCAD simulations. As for the measurements, the simulation study was applied for the p-on-n strip detectors similar in geometry to those developed for the ATLAS experiment and for the Ioffe Institute designed p-on-n strip detectors with each strip having a window in the metallization covering the p(+) implant, allowing the generation of electron-hole pairs under the strip implant. Red laser scans across the strips and the interstrip gap with varying laser diameters and Si-SiO2 interface charge densities (Q(f)) were carried out. The results verify the experimentally observed negative response along the scan in the interstrip gap. When the laser spot is positioned on the strip p(+) implant the negative response vanishes and the collected charge at the active strip increases respectively. The simulation results offer a further insight and understanding of the influence of the oxide charge density in the signal formation. The main result of the study is that a threshold value of Q(f), that enables negligible losses of collected charges, is defined. The observed effects and details of the detector response for different charge injection positions are discussed in the context of Ramo's theorem.Peer reviewe

RD39 Status Report 2009

RD39 Status Report 2009. CERN RD39 Collaboration is developing super-radiation hard cryogenic silicon detectors for applications of LHC experiments and their future upgrades. The activities of RD39 Collaboration were focused in 2009 on concept of charge injected detector (CID)

Challenges in QCD matter physics - The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Published in European Physical Journal

Political and legal means to ensure mechanisms of interaction between state organs and local cities' authorities as tools to achieve public relations effectiveness

The actuality of examined issue is predetermined by necessity of aligning state policy with the actual status of cities as active actors in policy making process on domestic and international level. The main objective of this study is to review contemporary peculiarities of the role of local governments within cities in policy making process in order to underscore the relevance of actual status of citites and its legal framework by political tools. The work relies on the use of teleological analysis (in order to understand the importance of implementing complex of political and legal tools within urban state policy to elaborate mechanism of building due public relations in the state), a comparative method (as part of a comparative study of the legal and actual statuses of cities as actors of domestic and external political relations), and functional analysis (when identifying city competence). The general discourse on the local government in cities allows to determine the need for a combination of political and legal tools in building relations between the state power institutions and local authorities in cities. Due urban politics presums developing the good image of city abroad, based on its identity to gain despite the competition worldwide benefits such as being elected as location of important international event. This paper examines both the inherent contradictions between the legal foundation and domestic and external actorness of cities

DARWIN EU® is an electronic platform for the collection and analysis of health data in the European Union

The growing volume and complexity of data that is currently being collected in a variety of settings and devices is of varying degrees and quality, posing a challenge for the public health sector to develop a robust electronic system that can be collected, analyzed and made available to clinicians. The creation of a system, the development of the capabilities and potential of information technologies for obtaining, managing and analyzing a large amount of data, will allow to identify facts regarding the safety and effectiveness of the use of drugs, to investigate the validity of statements made by pharmaceutical companies, to obtain a more accurate characterization of treatment methods in individual healthcare sectors and to provide doctors with quick and constant access to this information, which will facilitate its use in the treatment of patients. The development of such a tool is a priority for the health care system in a changing world. An example of such a tool is the Data Analysis and Real Word Interrogation Network (DARWIN EU®), which was launched on February 9, 2022 by the European Medicines Agency. The purpose of this article is to review the history of creation, organizational structure, operating principles, current experience of the European Union regulatory network and comparison with the experience of international regulatory bodies. The article, along with the experience of the European Medicines Agency, also considers similar initiatives in the US and Canada