Includes bibliographical references and index.

0. Preface; 1. Detector systems overview; 2. Signal formation and acquisition; 3. Electronic noise; 4. Signal processing; 5. Elements of digital electronics and signal processing; 6. Transistors and amplifiers; 7. Radiation effects; 8. Detector systems; 9. Why things don't work; A. Semiconductor device technology; B. Phasors and complex algebra in electrical circuits; C. Equivalent circuits; D. Feedback amplifiers; E. The diode equation; F. Electrical effects of impurities and defects; G. Bipolar transistor equations

Semiconductor sensors patterned at the micron scale combined with custom-designed integrated circuits have revolutionized semiconductor radiation detector systems. Designs covering many square meters with millions of signal channels are now commonplace in high-energy physics and the technology is finding its way into many other fields, ranging from astrophysics to experiments at synchrotron light sources and medical imaging. This book is the first to present a comprehensive discussion of the many facets of highly integrated semiconductor detector systems, covering sensors, signal processing, transistors and circuits, low-noise electronics, and radiation effects. The diversity of design approaches is illustrated in a chapter describing systems in high-energy physics, astronomy, and astrophysics. Finally a chapter Why things don't work discusses common pitfalls. Profusely illustrated, this book provides a unique reference in a key area of modern science.