Finite element simulations of low-mass readout cables for the CBM Silicon Tracking System using RAPHAEL

The first three-dimensional simulation study of thin multi-line readout cables using finite element simulation tool RAPHAEL is being reported. The application is the Silicon Tracking System (STS) of the fixed-target heavy-ion experiment Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM), under design at the forthcoming accelerator center FAIR in Germany. RAPHAEL has been used to design low-mass analog readout cables with minimum possible Equivalent Noise Charge (ENC). Various trace geometries and trace materials have been explored in detail for this optimization study. These cables will bridge the distance between the microstrip detectors and the signal processing electronics placed at the periphery of the silicon tracking stations. SPICE modeling has been implemented in Sentaurus Device to study the transmission loss (dB loss) in cables and simulation has been validated with measurements. An optimized design having minimum possible ENC, material budget and transmission loss for the readout cables has been proposed.