Abstract:
Pixel sensors in 3D technology equip the outer ends of the
staves of the Insertable B Layer (IBL), the innermost layer of the
ATLAS Pixel Detector, which was installed before the start of LHC
Run 2 in 2015. 3D pixel sensors are expected to exhibit more
tolerance to radiation damage and are the technology of choice for
the innermost layer in the ATLAS tracker upgrade for the HL-LHC
programme. While the LHC has delivered an integrated luminosity of
≃ 235 fb-1 since the start of Run 2, the 3D sensors
have received a non-ionising energy deposition corresponding to a
fluence of ≃ 8.5 × 1014 1 MeV
neutron-equivalent cm-2 averaged over the sensor area. This
paper presents results of measurements of the 3D pixel sensors'
response during Run 2 and the first two years of Run 3, with
predictions of its evolution until the end of Run 3 in 2025. Data
are compared with radiation damage simulations, based on detailed
maps of the electric field in the Si substrate, at various fluence
levels and bias voltage values. These results illustrate the
potential of 3D technology for pixel applications in high-radiation
environments.