Signal simulations for double-sided silicon strip detectors

The use of an array of silicon strip devices in a magnetic volume is an attractive choice for a charged particle detector which aims to optimize pattern recognition and overall tracking performance at the SSC. The stringent requirements on timing accuracy, data storage, radiation resistance, and allowable material in the tracking volume make the electronics readout of such detectors a challenging problem. To help in the design of the front-end electronics the authors have developed a computer program which simulates the performance of the combined detector and front-end system. Here, signals resulting from the passage of minimum ionizing charged particles through double-sided silicon strip detectors are simulated, including the effects of Landau fluctuations and the drift of electrons and holes in the electric and magnetic fields inside the detector. Induced currents are integrated, shaped and discriminated after addition of random electrical noise, and the timing of signals is obtained. Using the results of many Monte Carlo generated events, efficiencies, position resolutions, and means are evaluated as functions of the threshold, the signal-to-noise ratio, the amplifier shaping time, and the data storage time-window