Thermal characterisation of thermo-active support structures and its application in the ATLAS pixel outer endcap local supports

Thermo-active support structures can be used to cool or warm devices that need to be operated at a given temperature. The designs of these structures need to be qualified to guarantee an optimal thermal performance. This work presents a qualification technique based on the analysis of thermal images of thermo-active support structures is presented. The technique’s capability to detect structural defects has been evaluated through sensitivity studies on dedicated test structures and ATLAS-ITk pixel outer endcap support structures. These are carbon-based and support pixel silicon detectors in harsh radiation environment. They provide cooling to the silicon devices through bi-phase CO2. Results show that this technique is a suitable candidate for quality control in the final local support production for the ITk pixel outer endcaps.