Monolithic active pixel sensors for a linear collider

Abstract A novel technique for detecting minimum ionising particles (i.e. m.i.p.) was designed and a first prototype fabricated in a standard CMOS technology, guided by very high vertex detector performances required in future collider experiments. The device architecture resembles CMOS cameras, a recent alternative to CCD sensors for visible light imaging. The performance of the first prototype was evaluated with high energy π − beams at CERN. Preliminary test results demonstrate that the sensors detect m.i.p.s with very high efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio and provide excellent surface resolution.