A novel fully digital particle detector with high spatial resolution

In the presented paper we describe an innovative pixel topology designed for particle tracking. The proposed approach is based on a fully digital concept. When ionising particles traverse detector material, charges collected by the pixel are converted to a single bit to obtain a binary image. This digital approach allows a simplified pixel schematic to be used, reducing the pixel size to 2.5 μm × 2.5 μm and optimises the power consumption and the speed of the readout. An array of 256×256 pixels have been fabricated in a 65 nm standard CMOS technology as a proof of concept. Preliminary results on pixel performance are reported, demonstrating the potential of the approach.