3D sensors for the HL-LHC

In order to increase its discovery potential, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accelerator will be upgraded in the next decade. The high luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) period demands new sensor technologies to cope with increasing radiation fluences and particle rates. The ATLAS experiment will replace the entire inner tracking detector with a completely new silicon-only system. 3D pixel sensors are promising candidates for the innermost layers of the Pixel detector due to their excellent radiation hardness at low operation voltages and low power dissipation at moderate temperatures. Recent developments of 3D sensors for the HL-LHC are presented.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, International Workshops on Radiation Imaging Detectors 201

Inverse Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (iLGADs) for precise tracking and timing applications

Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) is the baseline sensing technology of the recently proposed Minimum Ionizing Particle (MIP) end-cap timing detectors (MTD) at the Atlas and CMS experiments. The current MTD sensor is designed as a multi-pad matrix detector delivering a poor position resolution, due to the relatively large pad area, around 1 $mm^2$; and a good timing resolution, around 20-30 ps. Besides, in his current technological incarnation, the timing resolution of the MTD LGAD sensors is severely degraded once the MIP particle hits the inter-pad region since the signal amplification is missing for this region. This limitation is named as the LGAD fill-factor problem. To overcome the fill factor problem and the poor position resolution of the MTD LGAD sensors, a p-in-p LGAD (iLGAD) was introduced. Contrary to the conventional LGAD, the iLGAD has a non-segmented deep p-well (the multiplication layer). Therefore, iLGADs should ideally present a constant gain value over all the sensitive region of the device without gain drops between the signal collecting electrodes; in other words, iLGADs should have a 100${\%}$ fill-factor by design. In this paper, tracking and timing performance of the first iLGAD prototypes is presented.Comment: Conference Proceedings of VCI2019, 15th Vienna Conference of Instrumentation, February 18-22, 2019, Vienna, Austri

Recent Technological Developments on LGAD and iLGAD Detectors for Tracking and Timing Applications

This paper reports the last technological development on the Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) and introduces a new architecture of these detectors called inverse-LGAD (iLGAD). Both approaches are based on the standard Avalanche Photo Diodes (APD) concept, commonly used in optical and X-ray detection applications, including an internal multiplication of the charge generated by radiation. The multiplication is inherent to the basic n++-p+-p structure, where the doping profile of the p+ layer is optimized to achieve high field and high impact ionization at the junction. The LGAD structures are optimized for applications such as tracking or timing detectors for high energy physics experiments or medical applications where time resolution lower than 30 ps is required. Detailed TCAD device simulations together with the electrical and charge collection measurements are presented through this work.Comment: Keywords: silicon detectors, avalanche multiplication, timing detectors, tracking detectors. 8 pages. 8 Figure

Beyond Traditional Metrics: Assessing Value in Carpal Tunnel Surgeries

Beyond Traditional Metrics: Assessing Value in Carpal Tunnel Surgeries Meet Patel1, Emily Mazier2, Megan Carulla1, Trae Hill1, Alex Lindahl2, Charles S. Day3 1Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 2Oakland University William Beaumont, Auburn Hills, MI, 3Henry Ford Medical System, Detroit, MI Introduction: To control healthcare costs, one must consider cost-effectiveness and quality of care metrics. This study compares the value of carpal tunnel release (CTR) performed in the ambulatory surgical center (ASC) to the hospital outpatient department (HOPD). Methods: Costs were determined by the Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) methodology. All steps of a patient care pathway for CTR performed in ASC and HOPD were organized into a process map. Costs were categorized into the following: Direct Variable: Staff salaries directly involved in patient care Direct Fixed: Materials, supplies, and building fees Indirect: Maintenance, administration, and marketing Differences in pre-operative and 3-month post-operative PROMIS UE and PI scores were multiplied by average life-years remaining for each patient to determine quality-adjusted life-years (QALY). Costs were divided by QALYUE and QALYPI to determine incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER), denoted as ICERUE and ICERPI. Results 16 HOPD patients were compared to 18 ASC patients. Costs were significantly lower in the ASC by $951.15, or 30.5$6097/QALY. ICERPI was greater in the HOPD by $3325.69/QALY. Discussion: Higher ICER values indicate the HOPD provides less value, despite having better outcomes compared to the ASC. The significant decrease in cost shows the ASC to be more cost-effective. Significance/Clinical relevance: As healthcare costs continue to rise, value-based care will maintain a pivotal role. Combining TDABC and PROs to determine value can aid clinicians in decision-making

The critical factor: The role of quality in the performance of supported accommodation services for complex mental illness in England

Rehabilitation services have a key role in ensuring integrated and comprehensive mental health (MH) care in the community for people suffering from long-term and severe mental disorders. MH-supported accommodation services aim to promote service users’ autonomy and independence. Given the complexity associated with MH-supported accommodation services in England, a comparative evaluation of critical performance indicators, including service provision and quality of care, seems to be necessary in designing evidence-informed policies. This study aims to explore the influence of service quality indicators on the performance of MH-supported accommodation services in England. The analysed sample includes supported accommodation services from 14 nationally representative local authorities in England from the QuEST study grouped by three main types of care: residential care homes (divided into two subgroups: move-on and non-move-on oriented), supported housing and floating outreach. EDeS-MH (efficient decision support-mental health) was used to assess the performance indicators for the selected services by combining a Monte Carlo simulation engine, data envelopment analysis and a fuzzy inference engine for integrating expert knowledge. Depending on the type of care, six/seven quality domains were sequentially included after a baseline scenario (only technical) was analysed. Relative technical efficiency scores for the baseline scenarios revealed high performance in all the selected supported accommodation services, but the statistical variability was high. Quality domains significantly improved performance in every type of care. The inclusion of quality indicators has a positive impact on the global performance of each type of care. Remaining at the corresponding services more than expected for two years has a negative impact on performance. These findings can be considered from a planning perspective to facilitate the design of pathways of care with more realistic expectations about gaining autonomy in two years

Radiation Hardness of Thin Low Gain Avalanche Detectors

Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) are based on a n++-p+-p-p++ structure where an appropriate doping of the multiplication layer (p+) leads to high enough electric fields for impact ionization. Gain factors of few tens in charge significantly improve the resolution of timing measurements, particularly for thin detectors, where the timing performance was shown to be limited by Landau fluctuations. The main obstacle for their operation is the decrease of gain with irradiation, attributed to effective acceptor removal in the gain layer. Sets of thin sensors were produced by two different producers on different substrates, with different gain layer doping profiles and thicknesses (45, 50 and 80 um). Their performance in terms of gain/collected charge and leakage current was compared before and after irradiation with neutrons and pions up to the equivalent fluences of 5e15 cm-2. Transient Current Technique and charge collection measurements with LHC speed electronics were employed to characterize the detectors. The thin LGAD sensors were shown to perform much better than sensors of standard thickness (~300 um) and offer larger charge collection with respect to detectors without gain layer for fluences <2e15 cm-2. Larger initial gain prolongs the beneficial performance of LGADs. Pions were found to be more damaging than neutrons at the same equivalent fluence, while no significant difference was found between different producers. At very high fluences and bias voltages the gain appears due to deep acceptors in the bulk, hence also in thin standard detectors

Gain and time resolution of 45 μ\mum thin Low Gain Avalanche Detectors before and after irradiation up to a fluence of 101510^{15} neq_{eq}/cm2^2

Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) are silicon sensors with a built-in charge multiplication layer providing a gain of typically 10 to 50. Due to the combination of high signal-to-noise ratio and short rise time, thin LGADs provide good time resolutions. LGADs with an active thickness of about 45 $\mu$m were produced at CNM Barcelona. Their gains and time resolutions were studied in beam tests for two different multiplication layer implantation doses, as well as before and after irradiation with neutrons up to $10^{15}$ n$_{eq}$/cm$^2$. The gain showed the expected decrease at a fixed voltage for a lower initial implantation dose, as well as for a higher fluence due to effective acceptor removal in the multiplication layer. Time resolutions below 30 ps were obtained at the highest applied voltages for both implantation doses before irradiation. Also after an intermediate fluence of $3\times10^{14}$ n$_{eq}$/cm$^2$, similar values were measured since a higher applicable reverse bias voltage could recover most of the pre-irradiation gain. At $10^{15}$ n$_{eq}$/cm$^2$, the time resolution at the maximum applicable voltage of 620 V during the beam test was measured to be 57 ps since the voltage stability was not good enough to compensate for the gain layer loss. The time resolutions were found to follow approximately a universal function of gain for all implantation doses and fluences.Comment: 17 page

Aplicaciones didácticas del polariscopio

Se propone la construcción de un polariscopio, equipo muy sencillo, que está constituido por aquellos elementos básicos que permiten el estudio del comportamiento óptico de los cristales. Para ello se indican las características esenciales del equipo, así como los elementos que lo forman, indicando además una serie de complementos del mismo que lo hacen equiparable al microscopio petrográfico. A continuación se indica la realización de una práctica, con un conjunto de observaciones seriadas, a visualizar con el polariscopio. Dicha práctica es un resumen de las propiedades ópticas fundamentales de los cristales, y es lo suficiente atractivo para que el alumno pueda comprender fácilmente las causas de los fenómenos ópticos.We explain the construction of a very cheap and simple equipement for to study a optical propierties of crystals. It's named polariscope. The essentials elements of equipement are listed, and their use is very similar to polarizing microscope. Finally, we suggest a practical exercise, with a set of specimens or thin sections for to understood the fundamentals optical propierties of crystals

Aplicaciones didácticas del polariscopio

Se propone la construcción de un polariscopio, equipo muy sencillo, que está constituido por aquellos elementos básicos que permiten el estudio del comportamiento óptico de los cristales. Para ello se indican las características esenciales del equipo, así como los elementos que lo forman, indicando además una serie de complementos del mismo que lo hacen equiparable al microscopio petrográfico. A continuación se indica la realización de una práctica, con un conjunto de observaciones seriadas, a visualizar con el polariscopio. Dicha práctica es un resumen de las propiedades ópticas fundamentales de los cristales, y es lo suficiente atractivo para que el alumno pueda comprender fácilmente las causas de los fenómenos ópticos.We explain the construction of a very cheap and simple equipement for to study a optical propierties of crystals. It's named polariscope. The essentials elements of equipement are listed, and their use is very similar to polarizing microscope. Finally, we suggest a practical exercise, with a set of specimens or thin sections for to understood the fundamentals optical propierties of crystals