Commissioning of Silicon detectors for the COMPASS experiment at CERN

This document describes the silicon microstrip detectors used in the COMPASS experiment. The main features of silicon microstrip detectors, mechanisms of radiation damages and the principles of the Lazarus effect are reviewed. The specific realization of silicon microstrip detectors in the COMPASS experiment is described. Production and tests done in the lab are discussed. Here, emphasis is placed on the noise performance of the detectors. The analysis of readout and performance tests in a test beam at CERN is done. Commissioning, debugging and first tests of the detectors and of the readout system on the COMPASS beam line in the 2001 beam time are presented.