Radiation Effects in Silicon Detectors:. a Short Overview

Radiation effects in silicon detectors to be used in future high energy physics experiments are discussed. A short overview is given of the major changes in the operational parameters due to radiation damage, and their origin in the radiation-induced microscopic disorder in the silicon bulk. The relevant radiation hardening technologies are described, that have been adopted by the high energy physics community to face the hostile radiation environment where silicon pixel and microstrip detectors will operate in the Large Hadron Collider.