Production and performance of the silicon sensor and custom readout electronics for the PHENIX FVTX tracker

The Forward Silicon Vertex Tracker (FVTX) upgrade for the PHENIX detector at RHIC will extend the vertex capability of the central PHENIX Silicon Vertex Tracker (VTX). The FVTX is designed with adequate spatial resolution to separate decay muons c oming from the relatively long-lived heavy quark mesons (Charm and Beauty), from prompt particles and the longer-lived pion and kaon decays that originate at the primary collision vertex. These heavy quarks can be used to probe the high-density medium tha t is formed in Au+Au collisions at RHIC. The FVTX is designed as two endcaps. Each endcap comprises four silicon disks covering opening angles from 10^o to 35^o to match the existing muon arm acceptance. Each disk consists of p-on-n, silicon wedges, with ac-coupled mini-strips on 75@mm radial pitch and projective length in the phi direction that increases with radius. A custom front-end chip, the FPHX, has been designed for the FVTX. The chip combines fast trigger capability with data push architecture in a low-power design.

Silicon microstrip
Silicon vertex tracker
CMOS ASIC
Heavy quarks
Quark-gluon plasma

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- NOONE E 2 2007