Machine learning for precise hit position reconstruction in Resistive Silicon Detectors
RSDs are LGAD silicon sensors with 100% fill factor, based on the principle of AC-coupled resistive read-out. Signal sharing and internal charge multiplication are the RSD key features to achieve picosecond-level time resolution and micron-level spatial resolution, thus making these sensors promising candidates as 4D-trackers for future experiments. This paper describes the use of a neural network to reconstruct the hit position of ionizing particles, an approach that can boost the performance of the RSD with respect to analytical models. The neural network has been trained in the laboratory and then validated on test beam data. The device-under-test in this work is a 450 μm-pitch matrix from the FBK RSD2 production, which achieved a resolution of about 65 μm at the DESY Test Beam Facility, a 50% improvement compared to a simple analytical reconstruction method, and a factor two better than the resolution of a standard pixel sensor of equal pitch size with binary read-out. The test beam result is compatible with the laboratory ones obtained during the neural network training, confirming the ability of the machine learning model to provide accurate predictions even in environments very different from the training one. Prospects for future improvements are also discussed.