The ATLAS Semiconductor Tracker – design and status of construction

The ATLAS Semiconductor Tracker (SCT) is one part of the tracking system of ATLAS – general-purpose detector for 14 TeV Large Hadron Collider under construction at CERN. It consists of about 4000 silicon microstrip detector modules, which compose 4 barrel layers and 9 endcap disks on each side. Design and construction of this large area (61 m2) silicon detector present several challenges (radiation hardness, thermal and electrical stability, mechanical precision, etc.). Basic principles of SCT design, performance and status of construction will be shown.