Proton and x-ray irradiation of silicon devices at the TIFPA-INFN facilities in Trento

Proton and x-ray irradiation are essential procedures required to characterize the effects of TID and displacement damage designing silicon sensors for charged particle. The experimental area of the Trento Proton Therapy Center, a medical facility located in Trento (Italy), allows to perform proton irradiation on SiPMs, solid state silicon based (pixel, drift and microstrip) sensors and experimental electronic devices using protons with energy in the range of 70-230 MeV. The irradiation isocenter is in air, the circular beam spot has a gaussian intensity profile with a sigma varying between 2.74 mm and 6.92 mm and a maximum proton rate of about 10^10 protons/s. For the energy of 120 MeV a devoted set-up, called dual ring, allows to achieve a uniform beam spot on a circumference of 30 mm radius. This energy range is especially suitable for testing devices oriented to medical and space applications, but it is also useful for high-energy detector upgrades studies. In the TIFPA-INFN laboratories is also located a tungsten anode x-ray source allowing a TID characterization of experimental silicon devices. In this document will be given a description of the experimental area of the Trento Proton Therapy Center and some results of the proton and x-ray irradiation on prototype sensors for charged particle.