Finite-element transient Monte Carlo simulations for the optimisation and better understanding of silicon sensor prototypes

by Katharina Dort (CERN, Justus-Liebig-Universitaet Giessen (DE))

Wednesday 28 Apr 2021, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

CERN

Silicon detectors play an integral part in High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments. In particular, the rapid advancement of silicon sensor technology in the past years has made them attractive candidates for a multitude of future detector projects. Consequently, an ever-increasing demand for high-performant and radiation-hard silicon sensors arises that requires increasingly complex sensor designs that are more and more challenging to simulate and model. While 3-dimensional finite-element simulations using Technology Computer Aided Design (3D TCAD) provide detailed insight into the electromagnetic properties of a sensor, the interaction of a particle beam with the device remains challenging due to prohibitively large simulation times. Combining 3D TCAD electrostatic field simulations with a Monte Carlo framework leverages the advantage of both simulation approaches: a detailed sensor modelling and high simulation rates that allow for taking statistical fluctuations into account. In this seminar, the combined simulation approach is presented using 3D TCAD and the Monte Carlo software framework Allpix Squared. The interaction of a particle beam with a monolithic silicon sensor featuring a complex electric field is shown. The performance of the simulated sensor is evaluated and the results are compared to test-beam measurements. Examples for an improved sensor performance resulting from earlier simulation-based optimisation studies are presented as well.

20210428_finElementAndMCSim_kdort.pdf