Current performance of the SLD VXD3

During 1996, the SLD collaboration completed construction and began operation of a new charge-coupled device (CCD) vertex detector (VXD3). Since then, its performance has been studied in detail and a new topological vertexing technique has been developed. In this paper, we discuss the design of VXD3, procedures for aligning it, and the tracking and vertexing improvements that have led to its world-record performance.