Speaker
Description
In the past decade, hybrid silicon detectors with single photon counting readout have been a breakthough for several hard X-ray experimental techniques.
However, they still cannot be used for X-ray energies below 2 keV, since the electronic noise becomes comparable to the charge generated by single X-rays.
The amplification provided by LGAD sensors improves the signal-to-noise ratio and the signal of a photon can be discriminated from the electronic noise even for low energies. This can extend the single photon counting capability to the soft X-ray energy range.
The gain, electronic noise, signal-to-noise ratio as well as the fill factor of 150 um pitch microstrip sensors fabricated at FBK have been characterized using X-rays.
Although improvements in the segmentation and in the quantum efficiency for soft X-rays are required, these preliminary measurements show that LGADs are a promising technology for accessing the soft X-ray energy range using single photon counting readout.
