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The ePIC Silicon Vertex Tracker: Design and Status

R. Turrisi

TL;DR

This paper presents a MAPS-based Silicon Vertex Tracker design for the EIC, detailing the Inner Barrel, Outer Barrel, and forward/backward disks that form a low-mass, high-precision tracking system within a compact detector envelope. It combines MOSAIX wafer-scale sensors, optimized power distribution with AncASIC, and EIC-LAS sensor modules to minimize material and power while achieving vertexing accuracy on the order of $25~\mu\mathrm{m}$ and robust momentum resolution. Extensive mechanical, thermal, and airflow analyses, along with prototype development and validation, support a design path toward wafer-scale sensors by 2025 and full prototypes by 2026. The work demonstrates a mature, scalable SVT architecture essential for heavy-flavor physics and microvertexing at the EIC.

Abstract

The ePIC collaboration is developing a multidetector system to explore the fundamental properties of the strong interaction at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory. A key component of the ePIC detector is the Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT), which provides high-precision tracking and microvertex reconstruction. The SVT consists of the Inner Barrel (IB), the Outer Barrel (OB), and the Forward/Backward Disks, all based on Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) that combine high granularity, low power consumption, and minimal material budget. This paper presents a concise overview of the SVT design and its development status.

The ePIC Silicon Vertex Tracker: Design and Status

TL;DR

This paper presents a MAPS-based Silicon Vertex Tracker design for the EIC, detailing the Inner Barrel, Outer Barrel, and forward/backward disks that form a low-mass, high-precision tracking system within a compact detector envelope. It combines MOSAIX wafer-scale sensors, optimized power distribution with AncASIC, and EIC-LAS sensor modules to minimize material and power while achieving vertexing accuracy on the order of and robust momentum resolution. Extensive mechanical, thermal, and airflow analyses, along with prototype development and validation, support a design path toward wafer-scale sensors by 2025 and full prototypes by 2026. The work demonstrates a mature, scalable SVT architecture essential for heavy-flavor physics and microvertexing at the EIC.

Abstract

The ePIC collaboration is developing a multidetector system to explore the fundamental properties of the strong interaction at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory. A key component of the ePIC detector is the Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT), which provides high-precision tracking and microvertex reconstruction. The SVT consists of the Inner Barrel (IB), the Outer Barrel (OB), and the Forward/Backward Disks, all based on Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) that combine high granularity, low power consumption, and minimal material budget. This paper presents a concise overview of the SVT design and its development status.
Paper Structure (5 sections, 7 figures)

This paper contains 5 sections, 7 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction and general description
  2. Inner Barrel
  3. Outer Barrel
  4. Disks
  5. Summary and Outlook

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: Left panel: CAD exploded view of IB. Sensors and FPCs are in green, local mechanics in light grey, CFC support in grey, polyimide layer is in orange, and same color for the voltage supply cables on the "electron"side. Right panel, top: mechanical load simulation. A safety factor of 1.5 has been used on the load, FPCs are in copper. Bottom: distribution of material budget as a function of angle. Azimuth is chosen in order to avoid the horizontal beams of the support.
  • Figure 2: Left: Simulation of the heat transfer from a surface at the nominal power dissipation of the MOSAIX sensor to the flowing air. Left: map of the heat transfer coefficient. Right: temperature map on the heating surface.
  • Figure 3: Assembly of L0+L1 half-layers with bare silicon cutouts and 3D-printed local mechanics.
  • Figure 4: Left: CAD representation of the Outer Barrel. Right: Exploded view of one OB module.
  • Figure 5: Left: Air pressure drop measured across the main elements of a module. Right: Measurement of displacement as a function of the air flow magnitude.
  • ...and 2 more figures