Challenges for Silicon Pixel Sensors at the European XFEL

TL;DR

This paper systematically investigates the challenges faced by silicon pixel sensors at the European XFEL, focusing on radiation damage and plasma effects, to optimize sensor design for high-intensity X-ray environments.

Contribution

It provides experimental data on radiation damage parameters and analyzes their impact, guiding the development of improved pixel sensors for XFEL applications.

Findings

Radiation damage parameters quantified

Plasma effects cause signal distortions

Optimized sensor design recommendations proposed

Abstract

A systematic experimental study of the main challenges for silicon-pixel sensors at the European XFEL is presented. The high instantaneous density of X-rays and the high repetition rate of the XFEL pulses result in signal distortions due to the plasma effect and in severe radiation damage. The main parameters of X-ray-radiation damage have been determined and their impact on p+n sensors investigated. These studies form the basis of the optimized design of a pixel-sensor for experimentation at the European XFEL.