The CMS silicon tracker

This paper describes the Silicon microstrip Tracker of the CMS experiment a t LHC. It consists of a barrel part with 5 layers and two endcaps with 10 d isks each. About 10000 single-sided equivalent modules have to be built, ea ch one carrying two daisy-chained silicon detectors and their front-end ele ctronics. Back-to-back modules are used to read-out the radial coordinate. The tracker will be operated in an environment kept at a temperature of T = -10 degreesC to minimize the Si sensors radiation damage. Heavily irradiat ed detectors will be safely operated due to the high-voltage capability of the sensors. Full-size mechanical prototypes have been built to check the s ystem aspects before starting the construction. (C) 2000 Published by Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.