PicoPix · Development of a 4D silicon detector for applications in nuclear, particle, and medical physics

The PicoPix project will develop and deliver pixelated and radiation hard Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) with sub 30-ps timing resolution for 4D particle tracking in high energy physics and imaging applications. Starting from AC-coupled LGADs, developed in the context of the RD50 collaboration, PicoPix will use novel techniques to redefine the state-of-the-art in LGAD fabrication: a) pixelation, with typical dimension in the order of few tens of μm; b) timing resolution, through thinner detectors; and c) radiation-hardness, through novel designs of the active detection volume. PicoPix will push the boundaries in many fields from fundamental science to industrial applications. The fellow, Dr Reynolds, an expert in hadron collider physics with broad experience in simulations, analysis techniques, and data interpretation, has experience in characterisation of silicon detectors. The supervisors, Dr Tricoli and Prof Nikolopoulos, have significant experience and leadership in detector instrumentation and physics analysis. The former leads the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Fast-Timing Silicon Sensor Test- ing Laboratory, and the latter played a key-role in the commissioning of the Irradiation Facility at the University of Birmingham (UoB). The hosts, UoB and BNL, have excellent facilities enabling PicoPix, including the BNL Silicon Fabrication Facility and the Birmingham Instrumentation Laboratory for Particle Physics and Applications (BILPA). The secondments and visits, including at Fermilab, DESY, and CERN, and collaboration with other academic fields and industries ensure PicoPix’s success and a unique environment for Dr Reynolds’ development.