Analysis of the Quality Assurance results from the initial part of production of the ATLAS18 ITk strip sensors

The production of strip sensors for the ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITk) started in 2021. Since then, a Quality Assurance (QA) program has been carried out continuously, by using specific test structures, in parallel to the Quality Control (QC) inspection of the sensors. The QA program consists of monitoring sensor-specific characteristics and the technological process variability, before and after the irradiation with gammas, neutrons, and protons. After two years, half of the full production volume has been reached and we present an analysis of the parameters measured as part of the QA process. The main devices used for QA purposes are miniature strip sensors, monitor diodes, and the ATLAS test chip, which contains several test structures. Such devices are tested by several sites across the collaboration depending on the type of samples (non-irradiated components or irradiated with protons, neutrons, or gammas). The parameters extracted from the tests are then uploaded to a database and analyzed by Python scripts. These parameters are mainly examined through histograms and time-evolution plots to obtain parameter distributions, production trends, and meaningful parameter-to-parameter correlations. The purpose of this analysis is to identify possible deviations in the fabrication or the sensor quality, changes in the behavior of the test equipment at different test sites, or possible variability in the irradiation processes. The conclusions extracted from the QA program have allowed test optimization, establishment of control limits for the parameters, and a better understanding of device properties and fabrication trends. In addition, any abnormal results prompt immediate feedback to the vendor

Identification and Recovery of ATLAS18 Strip Sensors with High Surface Static Charge

The new all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) is being constructed by the ATLAS collaboration to track charged particles produced at the High-Luminosity LHC. The outer portion of the ITk detector will include nearly 18,000 highly segmented and radiation hard silicon strip sensors (ATLAS18 design). Throughout the production of 22,000 sensors, the strip sensors are subjected to a comprehensive suite of mechanical and electrical tests as part of the Quality Control (QC) program. In a large fraction of the batches delivered to date, high surface electrostatic charge has been measured on both the sensors and the plastic sheets which sheathe the sensors for shipping and handling rigidity. Aggregate data from across QC sites indicate a correlation between observed electrical failures and the sensor/plastic sheet charge build up. To mitigate these issues, the QC testing sites introduced recovery techniques involving UV light or flows of ionizing gas. Significant modifications to sensor handling procedures were made to prevent subsequent build up of static charge. This publication details a precise description of the issue, a variety of sensor recovery techniques, and trend analyses of sensors initially failing electrical tests (IV, strip scan, etc.)

ATLAS ITk strip sensor quality control procedures and testing site qualification

The high-luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider, scheduled to become operational in 2029, requires the replacement of the ATLAS Inner Detector with a new all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk). Radiation hard n+-in-p micro-strip silicon sensors were developed by the ATLAS ITk strip collaboration and are produced by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. Production of the total amount of 22 000 ITk strip sensors has started in 2020 and will continue until 2025. The ATLAS ITk strip sensor collaboration has the responsibility to monitor the quality of the fabricated devices by performing detailed measurements of individual sensor characteristics and by comparing the obtained results with the tests done by the manufacturer. Dedicated Quality Control (QC) procedures were developed to check whether the delivered large-format sensors adhere to the ATLAS specifications. The institutes performing the QC testing of the pre-production and production ATLAS ITk strip sensors (QC sites) had to initially be qualified for multiple high-throughput tests by successfully completing Site Qualification process. The QC procedures and the qualification process are described in this paper