arXiv subjects

A. Heering

Publications and source records attributed to A. Heering.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Silicon Photomultipliers in the CMS Upgrade

Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) will be used extensively in the upgraded CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. SiPMs have already been implemented into the barrel and endcap hadron calorimeters (HCAL) as part of the Phase I upgrade, and hundreds of thousands of SiPMs will be used for two new Phase II subdetectors, the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL) and the endcap high granularity hadronic calorimeter (HGCAL). We discuss the motivation for SiPMs as the photodetectors of choice in CMS, the evolution of the SiPMs from Phase I to Phase II, and the particular challenges faced and overcome for each of the three subdetectors.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Radiation damage studies of silicon photomultipliers for the CMS MIP Timing Detector

Recently developed 15 um, 20 um, 25 um and 30 um cell size Hamamatsu Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) were irradiated with reactor neutrons at JSI (Ljubljana) up to 2*10^14 n/cm^2 (1 MeV equivalent). The parameters of new and irradiated SiPMs were studied using pulsed light illumination. The effects of the neutron radiation on breakdown voltage, signal amplitude, dark current and noise for these devices are shown and discussed.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Optimization of LYSO crystals and SiPM parameters for the CMS MIP timing detector

For the High-Luminosity (HL-LHC) phase, the upgrade of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN will include a novel MIP Timing Detector (MTD). The central part of MTD, the barrel timing layer (BTL), is designed to provide a measurement of the time of arrival of charged particles with a precision of 30 ps at the beginning of HL-LHC, progressively degrading to 60 ps while operating in an extremely harsh radiation environment for over a decade. In this paper we present a comparative analysis of the time resolution of BTL module prototypes made of LYSO:Ce crystal bars read out by silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs). The timing performance measured in beam test campaigns is presented for prototypes with different construction and operation parameters, such as different SiPM cell sizes (15, 20, 25 and 30 $\rm \mu m$), SiPM manufacturers and crystal bar thicknesses. The evolution of time resolution as a function of the irradiation level has been studied using non-irradiated SiPMs as well as SiPMs exposed up to $2\times 10^{14}~n_{eq}/cm^2$ fluence. The key parameters defining the module time resolution such as SiPM characteristics (gain, photon detection efficiency, radiation induced dark count rate) and crystal properties (light output and dimensions) are discussed. These results have informed the final choice of the MTD barrel sensor configuration and offer a unique starting point for the design of future large-area scintillator-based timing detectors in either low or high radiation environments.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Integration of thermo-electric coolers into the CMS MTD SiPM arrays for operation under high neutron fluence

The barrel section of the novel MIP Timing Detector (MTD) will be constructed as part of the upgrade of the CMS experiment to provide a time resolution for single charged tracks in the range of $30-60$ ps using LYSO:Ce crystal arrays read out with Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). A major challenge for the operation of such a detector is the extremely high radiation level, of about $2\times10^{14}$ 1 MeV(Si) Eqv. n/cm$^2$, that will be integrated over a decade of operation of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). Silicon Photomultipliers exposed to this level of radiation have shown a strong increase in dark count rate and radiation damage effects that also impact their gain and photon detection efficiency. For this reason during operations the whole detector is cooled down to about $-35^{\circ}$C. In this paper we illustrate an innovative and cost-effective solution to mitigate the impact of radiation damage on the timing performance of the detector, by integrating small thermo-electric coolers (TECs) on the back of the SiPM package. This additional feature, fully integrated as part of the SiPM array, enables a further decrease in operating temperature down to about $-45^{\circ}$C. This leads to a reduction by a factor of about two in the dark count rate without requiring additional power budget, since the power required by the TEC is almost entirely offset by a decrease in the power required for the SiPM operation due to leakage current. In addition, the operation of the TECs with reversed polarity during technical stops of the accelerator can raise the temperature of the SiPMs up to $60^{\circ}$C (about $50^{\circ}$C higher than the rest of the detector), thus accelerating the annealing of radiation damage effects and partly recovering the SiPM performance.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Test beam characterization of sensor prototypes for the CMS Barrel MIP Timing Detector

The MIP Timing Detector will provide additional timing capabilities for detection of minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) at CMS during the High Luminosity LHC era, improving event reconstruction and pileup rejection. The central portion of the detector, the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL), will be instrumented with LYSO:Ce crystals and Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) providing a time resolution of about 30 ps at the beginning of operation, and degrading to 50-60 ps at the end of the detector lifetime as a result of radiation damage. In this work, we present the results obtained using a 120 GeV proton beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility to measure the time resolution of unirradiated sensors. A proof-of-concept of the sensor layout proposed for the barrel region of the MTD, consisting of elongated crystal bars with dimensions of about 3 x 3 x 57 mm$^3$ and with double-ended SiPM readout, is demonstrated. This design provides a robust time measurement independent of the impact point of the MIP along the crystal bar. We tested LYSO:Ce bars of different thickness (2, 3, 4 mm) with a geometry close to the reference design and coupled to SiPMs manufactured by Hamamatsu and Fondazione Bruno Kessler. The various aspects influencing the timing performance such as the crystal thickness, properties of the SiPMs (e.g. photon detection efficiency), and impact angle of the MIP are studied. A time resolution of about 28 ps is measured for MIPs crossing a 3 mm thick crystal bar, corresponding to an MPV energy deposition of 2.6 MeV, and of 22 ps for the 4.2 MeV MPV energy deposition expected in the BTL, matching the detector performance target for unirradiated devices.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2008

Radiation Damage Studies of Silicon Photomultipliers

We report on the measurement of the radiation hardness of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) manufactured by Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Italy (1 mm$^2$ and 6.2 mm$^2$), Center of Perspective Technology and Apparatus in Russia (1 mm$^2$ and 4.4 mm$^2$), and Hamamatsu Corporation in Japan (1 mm$^2$). The SiPMs were irradiated using a beam of 212 MeV protons at Massachusetts General Hospital, receiving fluences of up to $3 \times 10^{10}$ protons per cm$^2$ with the SiPMs at operating voltage. Leakage currents were read continuously during the irradiation. The delivery of the protons was paused periodically to record scope traces in response to calibrated light pulses to monitor the gains, photon detection efficiencies, and dark counts of the SiPMs. The leakage current and dark noise are found to increase with fluence. Te leakage current is found to be proportional to the mean square deviation of the noise distribution, indicating the dark counts are due to increased random individual pixel activation, while SiPMs remain fully functional as photon detectors. The SiPMs are found to anneal at room temperature with a reduction in the leakage current by a factor of 2 in about 100 days.

physics.ins-det↗