  Carbon fiber support structures have become common elements of detector
designs for high energy physics experiments. Carbon fiber has many mechanical
advantages but it is also characterized by high conductivity, particularly at
high frequency, with associated design issues. This paper discusses the
elements required for sound electrical performance of silicon detectors
employing carbon fiber support elements. Tests on carbon fiber structures are
presented indicating that carbon fiber must be regarded as a conductor for the
frequency region of 10 to 100 MHz. The general principles of grounding
configurations involving carbon fiber structures will be discussed. To
illustrate the design requirements, measurements performed with a silicon
detector on a carbon fiber support structure at small radius are presented. A
grounding scheme employing copper-kapton mesh circuits is described and shown
to provide adequate and robust detector performance.
