Speaker
Description
Silicon sensors are widely employed in modern physics experiments for their excellent spatial resolution, fast response, and scalability, which makes them indispensable in both tracking detectors and photodetection systems. Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are increasingly adopted for their excellent photon detection efficiency, fast timing, scalability, and insensitivity to magnetic fields, making them attractive for applications ranging from calorimetry to Cherenkov light detection. However, their long-term performance is challenged by radiation damage arising from the high particle fluxes typical of collider environments. Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation introduce defects in the silicon lattice, which manifest as increased dark count rate, afterpulsing, and reduced photon detection efficiency, ultimately degrading single-photon sensitivity.
As radiation-induced defects act as generation-recombination centres in the silicon lattice, light is emitted from these defects and can be spotted taking pictures of the device with a high-performance camera. Previous studies of radiation damage in SiPMs have been limited to electrical characterization. We complement these traditional approaches with an optical characterization of the sensors, using emission microscopy to directly visualize radiation-induced defects in the silicon lattice. This combined methodology provides deeper insight into the nature and localization of the damage, offering a more comprehensive understanding of its impact on SiPM performance.
In this poster, the microscope setup and the first results will be presented. Pictures taken before and after irradiation with protons at a fluence of ~$10^9$ $\rm n_{eq}/cm^2$, and after annealing cycles, show the evolution of the defects in the Hamamatsu SiPM sensors under study.
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