Punch-through currents and floating strip potentials in silicon detectors

Punch-through currents flowing between adjacent p/sup +/ strips on the surface of silicon microstrip drift detectors have been observed. Measurements of the floating strip potential have shown that a p/sup +/ strip acquires a voltage such that the punch-through current and the leakage current are equal and opposite. The factors influencing the threshold for the punch-through effect have been compared with a simple computer model, and the predicted variation with the interstrip gap is found to be in reasonable agreement with measured values for a variety of detectors.<>