Beam test measurements of Low Gain Avalanche Detector single pads and arrays for the ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector

TL;DR

This study evaluates the performance of Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) sensors for the ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector, demonstrating their timing precision, efficiency, and uniformity through beam tests relevant for high-luminosity LHC upgrades.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed beam test measurements of LGAD sensors of various sizes and doping levels, assessing their suitability for high-precision timing in the HL-LHC environment.

Findings

1. 1.3x1.3 mm^2 sensors achieve ~40 ps time resolution at gain 20.

2. Larger sensors have degraded time resolution but maintain high efficiency.

3. Sensors meet the timing and efficiency requirements for the HGTD.

Abstract

For the high luminosity upgrade of the LHC at CERN, ATLAS is considering the addition of a High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) in front of the end cap and forward calorimeters at |z| = 3.5 m and covering the region 2.4 < |{\eta}| < 4 to help reducing the effect of pile-up. The chosen sensors are arrays of 50 {\mu}m thin Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD). This paper presents results on single LGAD sensors with a surface area of 1.3x1.3 mm2 and arrays with 2x2 pads with a surface area of 2x2 mm^2 or 3x3 mm^2 each and different implant doses of the p+ multiplication layer. They are obtained from data collected during a beam test campaign in Autumn 2016 with a pion beam of 120 GeV energy at the CERN SPS. In addition to several quantities measured inclusively for each pad, the gain, efficiency and time resolution have been estimated as a function of the position of the incident particle inside the pad by using a beam telescope with a position resolution of few {\mu}m. Different methods to measure the time resolution are compared, yielding consistent results. The sensors with a surface area of 1.3x1.3 mm^2 have a time resolution of about 40 ps for a gain of 20 and of about 27 ps for a gain of 50 and fulfill the HGTD requirements. Larger sensors have, as expected, a degraded time resolution. All sensors show very good efficiency and time resolution uniformity.