Silicon technology for the LHCb vertex detector

This document describes the LHCb prototype silicon wafer vertex detector and the choice of its technology. The relative merits of n+n, p+n and p-bulk are discussed with reference to recent results wherever possible. The biasing technique and the operating conditions are discussed in light the severe radiation environment in the LHCb experiment. The high granularity of the detectors implies the use of a double metal layer in order to route out the inner strips.1