Long-Term Running Experience with the Silicon Micro-strip Tracker at the DØ Detector

The Silicon Micro-strip Tracker (SMT) at the DØ experiment in the Fermilab Tevatron collider has been operating since 2001. In 2006, an additional layer, referred to as ‘Layer 0’, was installed to improve impact parameter resolution and compensate for detector degradation due to radiation damage to the original innermost SMT layer. The SMT detector provides valuable tracking and vertexing information for the experiment. This contribution will highlight aspects of the long term operation of the SMT, including the impact of the silicon readout test-stand. Due to the full integration of the test-stand into the DØ trigger framework, this test-stand provides an advantageous tool for training of new experts and studying subtle effects in the SMT while minimizing impact on the global data acquisition.