High resolution 3D characterization of silicon detectors using a Two Photon Absorption Transient Current Technique

The Two Photon Absorption Transient Current Technique (TPA-TCT) is a tool to characterize semiconductor detectors using a spatially confined laser probe. Excess charge carriers are produced by the simultaneous absorption of two sub-bandgap photons in the material. The current induced by the motion of carriers is studied using well known TCT systems. Differently to standard TCT where the energy deposition (pair creation) is continuous along the beam, TPA-TCT reduces this region to an ellipsoidal volume, achieving thus, true 3D spatial resolution. This paper gives an overview of the technique and shows its performance in irradiated detectors, in particular diodes and High Voltage CMOS detectors.