Numerical analysis of thinned silicon detectors

In the framework of the CERN-RD50 and INFN-SMART collaboration, we have investigated the possibility of using thin devices as a solution to improve the reliability of silicon detectors after long-term irradiation at the Super-Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In this work, we compare conventional silicon detectors (p-on-n type diodes over a $300 \mu \rm{m}$ thick wafer substrates) with thinned devices ($50–100 \mu \rm{m}$ thick). The performance of these structures have been studied by means of a three defect level radiation damage model, implemented in the SYNOPSYS-TCAD device simulator. The effects of the radiation fluence on the effective doping concentration ($N_{\rm{eff}}$), leakage current and charge collection efficiency (CCE) have been investigated up to irradiation fluencies of $10^{16} \ 1$ MeV neutron-equivalent/cm$^2$. The simulations have been compared with experimental measurements carried out on similar test structures irradiated with neutrons and protons at high fluencies.