Irradiation of the TC255P CCD by Fast Neutrons Part 2

The first time we irradiated TC255Ps with fast neutrons was in April, 1998, at the University of Massachusetts facility in Lowell, USA. In MUON-No-253 we reported that the dark current in all four CCDs increased linearly with 1-MeV equivalent dose. In September, 1998, we sent eight TC255P CCDs to the ATLAS-wide fast neutron test at the PROSPERO reactor in France. When the organisers of the test returned the CCDs to us two months later, we found that their dark currents after irradiation agreed with the model we had proposed on the basis of our first test. We analyzed RASNIK and BCAM images taken with all eight CCDs, including two that received eleven times the estimated worste-case ATLAS end-cap neutron dose. We conclude that we understand the progress of neutron damage in the TC255P, and that the CCD will perform well for the duration of the ATLAS experiment.