The Phase II ATLAS Pixel Upgrade: The Inner Tracker (ITk)

The entire tracking system of the ATLAS experiment will be replaced during the LHC Phase II shutdown (foreseen to take place around 2025) by an all-silicon detector called the ITk (Inner Tracker). The pixel detector will comprise the five innermost layers, and will be instrumented with new sensor and readout electronics technologies to improve the tracking performance and cope with the HL-LHC environment, which will be severe in terms of occupancy and radiation. The total surface area of silicon in the new pixel system could measure up to 14 m^2, depending on the final layout choice, which is expected to take place in early 2017. Four layout options are being investigated at the moment, two with forward coverage to eta < 3.2 and two to eta < 4. For each coverage option, a layout with long barrel staves and a layout with novel inclined support structures in the barrel-endcap overlap region are considered. All potential layouts include modules mounted on ring-shaped supports in the endcap regions. Supporting structures will be based on low mass, highly stable and highly thermally conductive carbon-based materials cooled by evaporative carbon dioxide. Different designs of planar, 3D, and CMOS sensors are being investigated to identify the optimal technology for the different pixel layers. In parallel, sensor-chip interconnection options are being evaluated in collaboration with industrial partners to identify reliable technologies when employing very thin (100 μm to 150 μm) chips. While the RD53 Collaboration is developing the new readout chip, the pixel off-detector readout electronics will be implemented in the framework of the general ATLAS trigger and DAQ system. A readout speed of up to 5Gbit/s per data link (FE-chip) will be needed in the innermost layers going down to 640Mbit/s for the outermost. Because of the very high radiation level inside the detector, the first part of the transmission has to be implemented electrically, with signals converted for optical transmission at larger radii. Extensive tests are being carried out to prove the feasibility of implementing serial powering, which has been chosen as the baseline for the ITK pixel system due to the reduced material in the servicing cables foreseen for this option.