Charged Particle Tracking with the Timepix ASIC

TL;DR

This paper presents a particle tracking telescope using Timepix ASIC assemblies, demonstrating high spatial resolution and detailed charge calibration, with evaluations of planar and 3D sensors in beam tests.

Contribution

It provides a detailed charge calibration method and performance evaluation of Timepix ASIC-based sensors for charged particle tracking.

Findings

Achieved 2.3 micron pointing resolution at the device under test.

Planar sensor resolution ranged from 4.4 to 11 micron depending on conditions.

3D sensor achieved a best resolution of 9.0 micron for angled tracks.

Abstract

A prototype particle tracking telescope has been constructed using Timepix and Medipix ASIC hybrid pixel assemblies as the six sensing planes. Each telescope plane consisted of one 1.4 cm2 assembly, providing a 256x256 array of 55 micron square pixels. The telescope achieved a pointing resolution of 2.3 micron at the position of the device under test. During a beam test in 2009 the telescope was used to evaluate in detail the performance of two Timepix hybrid pixel assemblies; a standard planar 300 micron thick sensor, and 285 micron thick double sided 3D sensor. This paper describes a detailed charge calibration study of the pixel devices, which allows the true charge to be extracted, and reports on measurements of the charge collection characteristics and Landau distributions. The planar sensor achieved a best resolution of 4.0 micron for angled tracks, and resolutions of between 4.4 and 11 micron for perpendicular tracks, depending on the applied bias voltage. The double sided 3D sensor, which has significantly less charge sharing, was found to have an optimal resolution of 9.0 micron for angled tracks, and a resolution of 16.0 micron for perpendicular tracks. Based on these studies it is concluded that the Timepix ASIC shows an excellent performance when used as a device for charged particle tracking.