Characterization of Irradiated 3D Sensors

The LHC particle accelerator has been operating successfully for the past two years; however, in 2013 the LHC will be shut down for maintenance and upgrades to the experiments. The ATLAS experiment will upgrade its Pixel Detector by adding a fourth layer of sensors called the Insertable B-Layer (IBL) which is designed to operate at much higher radiation levels due to its location. 3D sensors are a new type of silicon detector that has recently been developed in order to achieve the desired performance in the increased radiation environment of the IBL. Research by members of the UNM Department of Physics on the operation of 3D sensors before and after exposure to radiation comparable to the LHC environment is presented.