2019 BIST Ignite Project: 2DETMIPS

The 2DETMIPS project received a 2019 BIST Ignite Grant at the annual BIST Ignite Awards Ceremony held in March 2020.

BIST Director Gabby Silberman presents the 2DETMIPS project with the 2019 BIST Ignite Grant

Project overview

Advancement in particle physics research, key to understanding the foundations of the universe, requires the development of a new generation of lighter, faster, and cheaper sensors than today. The 2DETMIPS project, led by Dr. Stefano Terzo (IFAE) and Dr. Klaas-Jan Tielrooij (ICN2) explores the properties of graphene to produce a prototype sensor capable of detecting the passage of MIPs (Minimum Ionising Particles), a specific state of charged particles that allows studying energy fluxes within accelerators. Graphene has so far been studied as a light detector, but much less in the field of high energy physics, which is why one of the goals of the project is to determine graphene’s optimal substrates and geometries for these applications.

Multidisciplinarity within 2DETMIPS

The project will bring together the IFAE expertise in silicon sensors for particle tracking and the ICN2 expertise in 2D materials and ultrafast dynamics, with the aim of developing a novel, thin, and ultrafast detector for future High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments. IFAE will provide silicon substrates, and ICN2 will deposit graphene and fabricate metal contacts, in order to create the first prototype detectors. The properties of these detectors in terms of MIP detection will be assessed by IFAE, while ICN2 will characterise their response time. Based on the outcome, novel prototypes with optimised silicon substrates (IFAE expertise) and graphene geometries (ICN2 expertise) will be prepared and characterised. With the long-term goal of creating all-2D MIP sensors that are ready to be implemented at particle accelerators, IFAE will develop integrated readout electronics and ICN2 will introduce semiconducting 2D materials to replace silicon.