Investigating the effects of acceptor removal mechanism and impact ionization on proton irradiated 300 $\mu$m thick LGAD

TL;DR

This paper enhances a TCAD simulation model for LGAD sensors by incorporating acceptor removal and impact ionization effects to better understand radiation damage from proton irradiation.

Contribution

It introduces an improved simulation model for LGADs that accounts for acceptor removal and impact ionization changes due to proton damage.

Findings

Validated the enhanced damage model against experimental data.

Showed that acceptor removal significantly affects LGAD performance.

Demonstrated the importance of impact ionization modifications in damage prediction.

Abstract

Low-Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) are the leading 4D sensing technology selected for use in the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). However, their proximity to the interaction point makes them highly susceptible to radiation-induced damage. Such degradation effects can be effectively studied through TCAD simulations. In this work, we extend the validation of a previously developed proton damage model for transitional sensors. The enhanced model for LGAD also incorporates an acceptor removal mechanism and modifications in impact ionization behavior, resulting in a more comprehensive and reliable tool for fabrication and performance analysis.