A 5µm hexagonal pixel sensor with an original tri-axis readout. The PICMIC-0 sensor has been conceived to be part of the PICosecond subMICrometer (PICMIC) detection system. The latter is a new concept that proposes to simultaneously exploit the intrinsic time resolution of a few ps and the spatial resolution of a few µm of the MicroChannel Plate (MCP) detectors.
To precisely measure the position of the avalanche of electrons, produced by a particle hitting the MCP, the size of the pixels needs to be of the order of a few microns, leading to millions of pixels per cm2. This high density of pixels represents a big challenge in terms of power consumption, data readout, and configuration features if one has to read out individually the pixels. The PICMIC concept overcomes such difficulties by proposing a new readout scheme. In this new scheme, the collection pixels are interconnected trough vias to conducting straight lines of at least three different orientations.