Charge identification in large area planar silicon detectors, using digital pulse shape acquisition

The capability of digital pulse shape technique to acquire data from CHIMERA detection cells (Si-CsI(Tl) telescopes) has been evidenced in our previous works. We have now applied this technique to the charge discrimination of the products stopped in the silicon detectors. Large area totally depleted CHIMERA planar silicon detectors (5 cm/spl times/5 cm area, 300 /spl mu/m thick) in both rear and front side injection have been used. In preliminary tests full charge identification for the reaction products up to Z=11 have been obtained for products both crossing (/spl Delta/E-E technique) and stopping in the silicon detector, using a 21 MeV/u /sup 20/Ne beam at the LNS Superconducting Cyclotron in Catania. The quality of the obtained results clearly indicates that the digital signal processing approach is able to give excellent results in this application, too.