Short strips for the SLHC: A P-Type Silicon microstrip detector in 3D-technology

The luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the sLHC, will constitute an extremely challenging radiation environment for tracking detectors. With respect to the LHC, massive improvements in radiation hardness are required. In this paper we investigate the superior radiation hardness of the 3D-design, where rows of 3D-columns are etched in substrate material and joined together to form strips. To demonstrate the feasibility of 3D silicon strip detectors (SSDs) for the sLHC, we have built prototype modules using 3D single type column (3D-STC) strip detectors with short strips and front-end electronics from the present ATLAS SemiConductor Tracker (SCT). The modules were tested with a beta source setup before and after irradiation to sLHC fluences with 26 MeV protons. We report on the performance of these 3D-modules, compare it to the results prior to irradiation, and draw conclusions about options for using 3D SSDs for tracking at the sLHC.