Single event upset studies on the CMS tracker APV25 readout chip

The microstrip tracker for the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider will be read out using APV25 chips. During high luminosity running the tracker will be exposed to particle fluxes up to 107 cm−2 s−1, which raises concerns that the APV25 could occasionally suffer Single Event Upsets (SEUs). The effect of SEU on the APV25 has been studied to investigate implications for CMS detector operation and from the viewpoint of detailed circuit operation, to improve the understanding of its origin and what factors affect its magnitude. Simulations were performed to reconstruct the effects created by highly ionising particles striking sensitive parts of the circuits, along with consideration of the underlying mechanisms of charge deposition, collection and the consequences. A model to predict the behaviour of the memory circuits in the APV25 has been developed and data collected from dedicated experiments using both heavy ions and hadrons have been shown to support it.