arXiv subjects

Mei Zhao

Publications and source records attributed to Mei Zhao.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Simulation Study of the Design and Spatial Resolution of a Novel AC-coupled Cross Strip LGAD

AC-coupled Low Gain Avalanche Diode (AC-LGAD), evolved from the standard LGAD technology, are silicon detectors characterized by exceptional temporal and spatial resolutions. This work proposes a novel sensor named AC-coupled Cross Strip LGAD (CS-LGAD) structure with dual-layered overlapping strip electrodes. It can achieve two-dimensional particle position measurement with low readout density while also inheriting the high temporal resolution of the LGAD. The sensor structure, doping and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the sensor were investigated through TCAD simulations. Additionally, Monte Carlo simulations were employed to simulate the signal response of CS-LGAD to minimum ionizing particles (MIPs). The response of MIPs hitting different positions was simulated, and the reconstruction of particle coordinates (x and y) was achieved based on the sharing of charges on the dual-layer electrodes. The spatial resolution might reach 3.6% and 5.5% of the pitch size in the x and y directions, respectively, according to the simulation. The proposed CS-LGAD is a promising 4D detector with low mass and low readout density.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Design and First Results of COFFEE3: A 55nm HVCMOS Pixel Sensor Prototype for High-Energy Physics Applications

Motivated by the stringent requirements of the Upstream Pixel (UP) tracker in the LHCb Upgrade II and the Inner Tracking detector (ITK) of the Circular Electron Positron Collider, the COFFEE series of pixel sensor chips have been developed using a 55nm High-Voltage CMOS (HVCMOS) process. The primary objective is to achieve a time resolution of a few nanoseconds under a hit density of up to 100 MHz/cm$^2$, while maintaining fine spatial resolution ($\sim$10 $\mu$m) and reasonable power consumption ($<$200 mW/cm$^2$). Building on the process validation of the COFFEE2 prototype, this work presents the design and preliminary test results of COFFEE3-a prototype integrating two distinct readout architectures. Architecture 1, tailored for the current triple-well process, adopts NMOS-only in-pixel circuitry and innovative column-level readout to handle high hit densities. The time walk of pixel-level signal is controlled within 10 ns, and the Time of Arrival (TOA) and Time over Threshold (TOT) are measured with a system clock with the period of 25 ns in peripheral circuits. Architecture 2, developed for future possible processes with p-type buried layer isolation, features pixel-level time measurement and storage. A chip-level Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) is used and the part of Voltage-Controlled Delay Line (VCDL) is copied in each pixel to get a high time resolution. The TOA resolution is estimated to be 4.2 ns and the TOT resolution 8.4 ns. COFFEE3, with a layout size of 3$\times$4 mm$^2$, was manufactured and has undergone preliminary tests. Charge injection tests for analog circuits, and laser tests for full readout chains, confirm that both architectures operate as expected. Next step work will focus on characterizing key performance such as the timing resolution, radiation hardness, and tracking performance of minimum ionising particles.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Scattering Problem in Bose-Einstein Condensates with Magnetic Domain Wall

We present a comprehensive theoretical study of linear wave scattering from magnetic domain walls with varied twist angles $\Theta$ in spin-$1/2$ Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). Using a gauge transformation, we show that scattering observables depend solely on the total twist $\Theta$, independent of chirality. Within the Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) framework, we develop a transfer-matrix method to compute reflection and transmission coefficients for incident phonons and free particles. Our results reveal a scattering threshold at the Zeeman energy $E = \hbar\Omega_0$, separating a pure phonon regime from multi-channel scattering involving both collective and single-particle excitations above threshold. For large twist angles, competition between kinetic and Zeeman energies reduces the effective spin rotation, leading to comb-like density modulations and Fano-like resonances below threshold. The transition probability between phonon and particle channels is strongly tunable with $\Theta$, enhanced for odd multiples of $\pi$ but suppressed for even multiples. These findings establish twist-engineered domain walls as a versatile platform for controlling quantum transport, with implications for atomtronic devices and quantum simulation.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Temperature Dependence of Gain and Time Resolution in LGAD Detectors

Low-Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGADs) provide moderate internal gain and time resolutions of a few tens of picoseconds, making them a key technology for ultrafast timing in high-energy physics and beyond. However, both their gain and timing characteristics vary strongly with reverse-bias voltage and temperature. This work establishes a compact analytical framework that describes multi-temperature LGAD gain and timing behavior through an equivalent representation of the gain layer. The non-uniform multiplication region is replaced by an equivalent rectangular gain layer, from which a first-order bias-compensation relation for constant gain is derived and validated. Using multi-temperature measurements of LGADs designed by IHEP and fabricated by IME, together with an independent HPK dataset, we show that the gain-voltage curve family can be reconstructed from a reference-temperature main curve, substantially reducing characterization effort. The same idea is then extended to timing by decomposing the total time resolution into jitter and intrinsic components and representing their temperature dependences as component-wise equivalent bias offsets. The resulting framework provides a function-level description of multi-temperature LGAD time-resolution curves and offers a practical tool for calibration, operation, and reduced-density characterization of LGAD-based ultrafast timing systems.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Test of LGAD as Potential Next-Generation {\mu}SR Spectrometer Detectors

Muon Spin Rotation/Relaxation/Resonance ($\mu$SR) is a versatile and powerful non-destructive technology for investigating the magnetic properties of materials at the microscopic level. The $\mu$SR technique typically utilizes fully spin polarized beams of positive muons generated at particle accelerator facilities and measures the evolution of the muon spin polarization inside a sample to extract information about the local magnetic environment in materials. With the development of accelerator technologies, intensities of muon beams are being continuously improved, which will cause a pile-up problem to the $\mu$SR spectrometer. The first muon source in China, named MELODY, is currently under construction and will be a pulsed source of muons operated at a repetition frequency of only 1 Hz due to limitations of the accelerator system at CSNS. Consequently, there is a strong motivation to operate MELODY at significantly higher muon intensities. This necessitates an upgrade of the detector system inside the spectrometer, which should be smaller and faster to accommodate the increased intensity per pulse of muons. The Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD), characterized by a typical pulse width of 2 ns and a segmentation size in the centimeters range, has the potential to significantly improve the counting rates of $\mu$SR spectrometers that utilize a high intensity pulsed muon source. Thus, it is expected that the LGAD detector is a promising candidate to enhance the performance of $\mu$SR spectrometers at the new MELODY muon source.To validate this, tests on the LGAD were conducted at the ISIS pulsed muon source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK. This paper will describe the setup of the candidate LGAD devices and the subsequent analysis of the experiment data.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Development of the strip LGAD detector with double-end readout for future colliders

The Low-Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) is a new silicon detector and holds wide application prospects in particle physics experiments due to its excellent timing resolution. The LGAD with a pixel size of 1.3 mm $\times$ 1.3 mm was used to construct a High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) in ATLAS experiments to solve the pile-up problem. Meanwhile, the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) also proposes detectors using the LGAD. However, pixel LGAD exhibits higher readout electronics density and cost, which somewhat limits the application of LGADs. To decrease the readout electronics density, the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has designed strip LGADs with larger areas. These strip LGADs are all 19 mm in length but with different widths of 1.0 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.3 mm. This article provides a detailed introduction to the design parameters of these strip LGADs and tests their electrical characteristics, including leakage current, break-down voltage, depletion capacitance, etc. The timing resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of the three strip LGAD sensors were investigated using a beta source test system. The position resolution parallel to the strip direction was tested and analyzed for the first time using a pico-second laser test system. Tests have demonstrated that the timing resolution of strip LGADs can reach about 37.5 ps, and position resolution parallel to the strip direction is better than 1 mm.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Performance of AC-LGAD strip sensor designed for the DarkSHINE experiment

AC-coupled Low Gain Avalanche Detector (AC-LGAD) is a new precise detector technology developed in recent years. Based on the standard Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) technology, AC-LGAD sensors can provide excellent timing performance and spatial resolution. This paper presents the design and performance of several prototype AC-LGAD strip sensors for the DarkSHINE tracking system, as well as the electrical characteristics and spatial resolution of the prototype sensors from two batches of wafers with different $n^+$ dose.The range of spatial resolutions of 6.5$\mathrm{\mu m}$ $\sim$ 8.2$\mathrm{\mu m}$ and 8.8$\mathrm{\mu m}$ $\sim$ 12.3$\mathrm{\mu m}$ are achieved by the AC-LGAD sensors with 100$\mu m$ pitch size.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

The Performance of AC-coupled Strip LGAD developed by IHEP

The AC-coupled Strip LGAD (Strip AC-LGAD) is a novel LGAD design that diminishes the density of readout electronics through the use of strip electrodes, enabling the simultaneous measurement of time and spatial information. The Institute of High Energy Physics has designed a long Strip AC-LGAD prototype with a strip electrode length of 5.7 mm and pitches of 150 $\mu m$, 200 $\mu m$, and 250 $\mu m$. Spatial and timing resolutions of the long Strip AC-LGAD are studied by pico-second laser test and beta source tests. The laser test demonstrates that spatial resolution improves as the pitch size decreases, with an optimal resolution achieved at 8.3 $\mu$m. Furthermore, the Beta source test yields a timing resolution of 37.6 ps.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Characterization of the response of IHEP-IME LGAD with shallow carbon to Gamma Irradiation

Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) for the High-Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) are crucial in reducing pileups in the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider. Numerous studies have been conducted on the bulk irradiation damage of LGADs. However, few studies have been carried out on the surface irradiation damage of LGAD sensors with shallow carbon implantation. In this paper, the IHEP-IME LGADs with shallow carbon implantation were irradiated up to 2 MGy using gamma irradiation to investigate surface damage. Important characteristic parameters, including leakage currents, breakdown voltage (BV), inter-pad resistances, and capacitances, were tested before and after irradiation. The results showed that the leakage current and BV increased after irradiation, whereas overall inter-pad resistance exhibited minimal change and remained above $10^9\ \Omega$ before and after irradiation. Capacitance was found to be less than 4.5 pF with a slight decrease in the gain layer depletion voltage (V$_{gl}$) after irradiation. No parameter affected by the inter-pad separation was observed before and after irradiation. All characteristic parameters meet the requirements of HGTD, and this design can be used to further optimization.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2022

The performance of large-pitch AC-LGAD with different N+ dose

AC-Coupled LGAD (AC-LGAD) is a new 4D detector developed based on the Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) technology, which can accurately measure the time and spatial information of particles. The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) designed a large-size AC-LGAD with a pitch of 2000~\SI{}{\micro\metre} and AC pad of 1000~\SI{}{\micro\metre}, and explored the effect of N+ layer dose on the spatial resolution and time resolution. The spatial resolution varied from 36~\SI{}{\micro\metre} to 16~\SI{}{\micro\metre} depending on N+ dose for a charge corresponding to about 12 minimum ionizing particles. The jitter component of the time resolution does not change significantly with different N+ doses, and it is about 15-17 ps measured by laser. The AC-LGAD with a low N+ dose has a large attenuation factor and better spatial resolution in the central region between pads. In these specific conditions, large signal attenuation factor and low noise level are beneficial to improve the spatial resolution of the AC-LGAD sensor.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2022

Design and testing of LGAD sensor with shallow carbon implantation

The low gain avalanche detectors (LGADs) are thin sensors with fast charge collection which in combination with internal gain deliver an outstanding time resolution of about 30 ps. High collision rates and consequent large particle rates crossing the detectors at the upgraded Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2028 will lead to radiation damage and deteriorated performance of the LGADs. The main consequence of radiation damage is loss of gain layer doping (acceptor removal) which requires an increase of bias voltage to compensate for the loss of charge collection efficiency and consequently time resolution. The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed a process based on the Institute of Microelectronics (IME), CAS capability to enrich the gain layer with carbon to reduce the acceptor removal effect by radiation. After 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence of 2.5$\times$10$^{15}$ n$_{eq}$/cm$^{2}$, which is the maximum fluence to which sensors will be exposed at ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD), the IHEP-IME second version (IHEP-IMEv2) 50 $\mu$m LGAD sensors already deliver adequate charge collection > 4 fC and time resolution < 50 ps at voltages < 400 V. The operation voltages of these 50 $\mu$m devices are well below those at which single event burnout may occur.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Timing performance simulation for 3D 4H-SiC detector

To meet high radiation challenge for detectors in future high-energy physics, a novel 3D 4H-SiC detector was investigated. SiC detectors could potentially operate in radiation harsh and room temperature environment because of its high thermal conductivity and high atomic displacement threshold energy. 3D structure, which decouples thickness and distance between electrodes, further improves timing performance and radiation hardness of the detector. We developed a simulation software - RASER (RAdiation SEmiconductoR) to simulate the time resolution of planar and 3D 4H-SiC detectors with different parameters and structures, and the reliability of the software is verified by comparing time resolution results of simulation with data. The rough time resolution of 3D 4H-SiC detector was estimated, and the simulation parameters could be used as guideline to 3D 4H-SiC detector design and optimization.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Effects of shallow carbon and deep N++ layer on the radiation hardness of IHEP-IME LGAD sensors

Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) is applied for the High-Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD), and it will be used to upgrade the ATLAS experiment. The first batch IHEP-IME LGAD sensors were designed by the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) and fabricated by the Institute of Microelectronics (IME). Three IHEP-IME sensors (W1, W7 and W8) were irradiated by the neutrons up to the fluence of 2.5 x 10^15 n_eq/cm^2 to study the effect of the shallow carbon and deep N++ layer on the irradiation hardness. Taking W7 as a reference, W1 has an extra shallow carbon applied, and W8 has a deeper N++ layer.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Low Gain Avalanche Detectors with Good Time Resolution Developed by IHEP and IME for ATLAS HGTD project

This paper shows the simulation and test results of 50um thick Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) sensors designed by the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) and fabricated by the Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IME). Three wafers have been produced with four different gain layer implant doses each. Different production processes, including variation in the n++ layer implant energy and carbon co-implantation were used. Test results show that the IHEP-IME sensors with the higher dose of gain layer have lower breakdown voltages and higher gain layer voltages from capacitance-voltage properties, which are consistent with the TCAD simulation. Beta test results show that the time resolution of IHEP-IME sensors is better than 35ps when operated at high voltage and the collected charges of IHEP-IME sensors are larger than 15fC before irradiation, which fulfill the required specifications of sensors before irradiations for the ATLAS HGTD project.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

The performance of IHEP-NDL LGAD sensors after neutron irradiation

The performances of Low Gain Avalanche diode (LGAD) sensors from a neutron irradiation campaign with fluences of 0.8 x 10^15, 15 x 10^15 and 2.5 x 10^15 neq/cm2 are reported in this article. These LGAD sensors are developed by the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Novel Device Laboratory for the High Granularity Timing Detector of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider. The timing resolution and collected charge of the LGAD sensors were measured with electrons from a beta source. After irradiation with a fluence of 2.5 x 10^15 neq/cm2, the collected charge decreases from 40 fC to 7 fC, the signal-to-noise ratio deteriorates from 48 to 12, and the timing resolution increases from 29 ps to 39 ps.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Leakage current simulations of Low Gain Avalanche Diode with improved Radiation Damage Modeling

We report precise TCAD simulations of IHEP-IME-v1 Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) calibrated by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). Our setup allows us to evaluate the leakage current, capacitance, and breakdown voltage of LGAD, which agree with measurements' results before irradiation. And we propose an improved LGAD Radiation Damage Model (LRDM) which combines local acceptor removal with global deep energy levels. The LRDM is applied to the IHEP-IME-v1 LGAD and able to predict the leakage current well at -30 $^{\circ}$C after an irradiation fluence of $ \Phi_{eq}=2.5 \times 10^{15} ~n_{eq}/cm^{2}$. The charge collection efficiency (CCE) is under development.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Time Resolution of the 4H-SiC PIN Detector

We address the determination of the time resolution for the $\rm 100~\mu m$ 4H-SiC PIN detectors fabricated by Nanjing University (NJU). The time response to $\rm \beta$ particles from a $\rm ^{90}$Sr source is investigated for the detection of the minimum ionizing particles (MIPs). We study the influence of different reverse voltages, which correspond to different carrier velocities and device sizes, and how this correlates with the detector capacitance. We determine a time resolution $\rm (94\pm1)~ps$ for $\rm 100~\mu m$ 4H-SiC PIN detector. A fast simulation software, termed RASER (RAdiation SEmiconductoR), is developed, and validated by comparing the waveform obtained from simulated and measured data. The simulated time resolution is $\rm (73\pm 1)~ps$ after considering the intrinsic leading contributions of the detector to time resolution.

physics.ins-det↗