Results from the first test beam of a large Microstrip Czochralski Silicon Detector equipped with LHC speed electronics

The first charge collection efficiency and signal to noise studies of a 6 x 4 cm microstrip Czochralski silicon detector are presented. The detector was read out with LHC speed electronics with the aim of evaluating its performance for the LHCb VELO upgrade. The charge collection efficiency distribution as a function of voltage showed detector depletion at 550~V. A minimum lower bound for the signal to noise ratio was measured as 23.5$pm$2.5 for this 50~$mu$m pitch 380~$mu$m thick detector. The detector was then irradiated inhomogeneously and the performance studies repeated as a function of irradiation. The results were promising; signal to noise ratio values of 17, 11 and 7 for 0.5, 2 and 4 equivalent years of the maximum LHCb radiation (1x10$^{14}$ 1 MeV neuton equivalent cm$^{-2}$) respectively. The effect of the voltage on the signal to noise ratio was also investigated.