Expanding Potential in Particle and Radiation Detectors, Sensors and Electronics in Croatia

Project Information

PaRaDeSEC

Grant agreement ID: 669014

DOI

10.3030/669014

Project closed

EC signature date 10 June 2015

Start date 1 July 2015

End date 31 March 2021

Funded under

• Establishing ‚ERA Chairs’

Total cost

€ 2 705 000,00

EU contribution

€ 2 434 500,00

Coordinated by

RUDER BOSKOVIC INSTITUTE
Croatia

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - PaRaDeSEC (Expanding Potential in Particle and Radiation Detectors, Sensors and Electronics in Croatia)

Reporting period: 2018-07-01 to 2021-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Project is based on R&D on detectors, sensors and electronics for research in nuclear and particle physics and interdisciplinary research using accelerated ion beams. R&D on such unique instrumentation, requires expertise from a broad range of topics in physics, electronics and computing. RBI researchers collaborate with top European research centers, and have broad knowledge of the experimental techniques involved, but insufficiently contribute to instrumentation development. Important steps to correct this weakness, and to increase related technological potential of Croatia, were successfully executed by our FP7 project. Further actions will be taken through the RBI key ESIF project.
PaRaDeSEC provides funding for the required top staff to consolidate all available resources into new Center for Detectors, Sensors & Electronics (CDSE). The CDSE focuses on nuclear and particle physics, but also impacts the broader research community and national economy.
The specific objectives of the project are:
- to acquire top class researchers for CDSE, which will be the focal point of all activities related to the development, testing and construction of detectors, sensors, and electronics. This objective was achieved in the 2nd reporting period (RP).
- to enhance the experimental role of RBI in the existing large international collaborative projects in nuclear and particle physics research and interdisciplinary research using accelerated ion beams. A priority is also to enable related involvement in new collaborations. This is achieved in the 3rd RP by significantly increased capabilities and capacities of RBI researchers for the development, testing and construction of detectors, sensors and electronics. RBI significantly increased its contribution in some existing collaborations and entered some new collaborations.
- to enhance capacities of RBI for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary applications and technology transfer related to the development, testing and construction of detectors, sensors, electronics and related instrumentation. This is achieved in the 3rd RP by significantly increased capabilities and capacities of RBI researchers for R&D of detectors, sensors and electronics and development of the detectors for multi- and inter-disciplinary applications.
- to contribute to the realization of the Croatian smart specialization strategies, as well as take a leading role in institutional changes to implement ERA priorities. This is achieved but in limited scope because RBI key ESIF project started with 3 years delay in late 2020.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

PaRaDeSEC was large and complex project and in its implementation there were many challenges, issues and obstacles. The project team was able to find some solution or workaround for all of these problems during 69 months of the project, pushing it successfully to its end.
The main executed tasks and their results are:
- kick-off event successful; review meeting for the 1st RP successful; mid-term meeting; review meeting for the 2nd RP successful; 2 successful requests for project extension; final meeting; review meeting for the 3rd RP successful
- ERA Chair started work in April 2016; administrative secretary hired; 4 experienced researchers recruited by November 2017. WP2 successfully completed.
- the CDSE established, formal approval of new RBI organizational structure by Ministry of Science and Education in Oct 2018.
- appropriate laboratory space located and several phases of refurbishment and upgrade of these space completed. Another lab space also upgraded. These 2 labs are in operation and used for research activities.
- acquired equipment essential for research activities missing at RBI using funds of the project, associate ESIF project, RBI and department funds. Several upgrades of the micro-beam facility at the RBI accelerator and Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation facility.
- intense transfer of knowledge through visits to and from our partnering institutions, lectures and practical work in small groups on workshops organized at RBI and international research facilities.
- extensive networking: RBI joined CERN RD50 and RD53 collaborations, Helsinki Institute of Physics and Micronova facility in Finland, University of Xiangtan China, ETH Zurich, Paul Scherrer Institute, Universities of York, Edinburgh and Birmingham in UK and a number of INFN institutions (universities of Pisa, Padova, Catania, Como, LNL, LNS) in Italy, Uni of Sevilla, Madrid and Huelva in Spain, GSI Germany, IJS Slovenia etc.
- activities of knowledge transfer: numerous practical trainings on usage of acquired equipment and on software tools, numerous seminars given by hired and RBI researchers, by our international and national collaborators.
- successful applications for grants: Croatian Science Foundation grants; ESIF call for synergy between Horizon2020 and ESIF funding; partner in Horizon2020projects: RADIATE (https://www.ionbeamcenters.eu) AIDA2020 (https://aida2020.web.cern.ch) AIDAInnova (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101004761)
- the results of R&D on detectors published in 44 articles in peer-reviewed international scientific journals in WoSCC and 34 international conference presentations
- knowledge transfer to undergraduate, graduate and PhD students resulted in 10 student seminars, 7 Master thesis and 2 PhD thesis
- implementation of structural changes at RBI; the PaRaDeSEC PMB members have had important role in this process
- organization of the 28th International Workshop on Vertex Detectors at Lopud/Dubrovnik, Croatia, 2019 and RD50 Workshop in 2020
- large success on fostering structural changes at national level, RBI director was Deputy Minister of Science and Structural Funds Aug 2017 - July 2020; members of the PMB involved in work on new national regulations

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Through this project the current RBI research and development regarding detectors, sensors and electronics will become much more influential on a world wide scale. In particular, the impacts of the ERA Chair will be:
• Considerably enhanced roles RBI has in large international collaborative projects in nuclear and particle physics research, in particular through larger RBI active participation in detector, sensor and electronics development and testing - realized.
• Substantially increased capacities of RBI for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary applications and technology transfer related to the development, testing and construction of detectors, sensors, and electronics - realized.
• Institutional changes implemented and considerable achievements in implementation of Croatian Smart Specialization Strategy in the domain of the ERA Chair - realized.
• Increased attractiveness of RBI and Croatia for internationally excellent and mobile researchers - realized in part regarding research environment, financial and global environment in Croatia still has negative effect.
• Increased research excellence of RBI related to detectors, sensors, and electronics - realzed.
• Improved performance of the newly formed Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials and Sensing Devices (CEMS) - realized.
• Contributing to the objectives of the Croatian Smart Specialisation strategies, including increased interactions with economic and social actions, and complementing support provided under the European Structural and Investment Funds - realized in part due to large delay in realization of the RBI key ESIF project.

Testing of developed new read-out chip for silicon pixel detector at the RBI accelerator facility

Pixel detector being measured at the RBI detector lab

Developed prototype of the next generation of the detector for particle physics research

New read-out chip for silicon pixel detector during test at the RBI micro-beam facility

CdTe detector developed for nuclear safety applications

Silicon sensors, designed and developed by RBI and HIP, intended to be installed st CMS LHC CERN

R4S chips

RBI Tandem accelerator facility

New generation silicon pixel detector developed for research at CERN

CdTe X-ray detector