  Pixel detectors with cylindrical electrodes that penetrate the silicon
substrate (so called 3D detectors) offer advantages over standard planar
sensors in terms of radiation hardness, since the electrode distance is
decoupled from the bulk thickness. In recent years significant progress has
been made in the development of 3D sensors, which culminated in the sensor
production for the ATLAS Insertable B-Layer (IBL) upgrade carried out at CNM
(Barcelona, Spain) and FBK (Trento, Italy). Based on this success, the ATLAS
Forward Physics (AFP) experiment has selected the 3D pixel sensor technology
for the tracking detector. The AFP project presents a new challenge due to the
need for a reduced dead area with respect to IBL, and the in-homogeneous nature
of the radiation dose distribution in the sensor. Electrical characterization
of the first AFP prototypes and beam test studies of 3D pixel devices
irradiated non-uniformly are presented in this paper.
