Trench-Isolated Low Gain Avalanche Diodes (TI-LGADs)

We present a novel design of fine segmented low gain avalanche diodes (LGAD) based on trench-isolation technique. The proposed design reduces the width of the no-gain inter-pad region down to less than 10 mu m, from the 20-mu mof the current LGAD technology, enabling the production of sensors with small pixel pitch and high fill-factor. Prototypes of this new technology were produced in the FBK laboratories. Their electrical characterization in terms of I-V, gain measurement and response to a focused laser, indicates that the trenches provide electrical isolation among pixels without any increase in the dark current level and without affecting the gain of the sensor. In addition, I-V measurements of p-i-n diodes with the same trench-isolation structure demonstrate that such termination scheme can withstand more than 500 Volts without reaching breakdown. This is well above the typical operating bias voltage of LGADs, thus confirming that trench-isolation is a promising solution for finely pixelated LGAD sensors.