Signal charge sharing in multilinear drift detectors: Design and experimental characterization

Multilinear silicon drift detectors (MLSDD's) are radiation detectors which combine excellent energy and position resolution with high count-rate capabilities, This is achieved by controlling the diffusion of the signal charges and limiting their lateral spread during the drift, This paper will present a study of the signal electrons' transport in MLSDD's in comparison with the experimental measurements, Three-dimensional simulations were carried out, taking into account diffusion effects and mutual electrostatic interaction between the signal electrons. A representative sample of these simulations will he presented, Signal sharing in a multilinear drift detector and in a ''classical'' multi-anode drift detector are characterized and discussed, The results are useful to tailor the design of MLSDD's for the detection of different kinds of radiation (e.g., optical photon, X-ray, ionizing particle) and to optimize signal charge sharing and detector performance according to a particular application purpose.