Front-end Electronics for Timing with pico-seconds precision using 3D Trench Silicon Sensors

TL;DR

This paper presents the development and testing of front-end electronics designed to achieve picosecond-level timing resolution for 3D silicon sensors in high-energy physics experiments.

Contribution

It introduces specialized front-end electronics tailored for 3D silicon sensors, enabling precise timing characterization below 10 ps.

Findings

Electronics successfully tested with 3D sensors achieving sub-10 ps timing resolution

Design demonstrates suitability for high-radiation, high-precision collider detectors

Electronics adaptable for various pixel sensors requiring fast timing

Abstract

The next generation of collider experiments require tracking detectors with extreme performance capabilities in terms of spatial resolution (tens of $\mu \text{m}$), radiation hardness ($10^{17}~1~$MeV n$_{eq}/$cm$^2$) and timing resolution (tens of ps). 3D silicon sensors, recently developed within the TimeSPOT initiative, offer a viable solution to cope with such demanding requirements. In order to accurately characterize the timing performance of these new sensors, several read-out boards, based on discrete active components, have been designed, assembled, and tested. The same electronics is also suitable for characterization of similar pixel sensors whenever timing performance in the order and below 10 ps is a requirement. This paper describes the general characteristics needed by front-end electronics to exploit solid-state sensors with fast timing capabilities and in particular, showcases the performance of the developed electronics in the testing and characterization of fast 3D silicon sensors.