Physics:Pad

Pads are rectangular or square conductors used as readout cathodes in tracking chambers and in calorimetry, for localizing tracks or showers ( Fretwurst96, Donaldson89).

The name also refers to a specific geometry of semiconductor detectors containing one single diode, with surface dimensions ranging from a few mm to a few cm (compare to microstrips, where the width is in the micron range, and the length is typically several cm).

Pads in semiconductor detectors may be circular or rectangular. Very small-area pads can be assimilated to pixels (pixel detectors are occasionally called pad detectors). Large pads are sometimes called tiles Heijne89.