A model for the performance of silicon microstrip detectors

Abstract The performance of silicon microstrip detectors which will be used at the SSC is simulated using charge carrier transport and electrostatic equations. The output current pulse shape as a function of detector dimensions, applied voltage, magnetic field strength, and particle trajectory is calculated. A Monte Carlo calculation, which combines the pulse shape results with an energy loss distribution, indicates that when operating at a 99% detection efficiency, charge sharing between neighboring strips will occur more than 40% of the time for 50 μm pitch double-sided readout detectors in the environment of a 2 T magnetic field. Using only hit/no-hit information, a position resolution of about 28 μm FWHM is achievable in the strip-to-strip dimension. If the p-side strips are rotated by 5 mrad with respect to the n-side strips, a hit position resolution in the lengthwise dimension of about 7 mm FWHM is calculated.