Recent experimentation with P-type Point Contact (PPC) gemanium detectors has lead to the identification of several residual sources of electronic noise presently limiting their energy resolution and sensitivity to small energy depositions. This award will provide funding for their systematic investigation and abatement, resulting in improved fabrication, packaging and read-out methods. The deliverables are expected to be a) a new germanium technology combining the virtues of ultra-low noise X-ray and high-efficiency gamma spectroscopies into a single radiation detector and b) the development of manufacturing techniques that lead to a reproducible, reliable optimal PPC performance making detectors that match an industry standard.
The broader impacts are expected to be multiple, in providing training to students and by demonstrating fundamental, applied and commercial uses for a new generation of germanium detectors with unmatched capabilities. The group plans to advance their use for a) the monitoring of nuclear power facilities against undeclared diversion of fissile materials, b) improved sensitivity in air monitoring systems supporting the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, c) the implementation of a novel background rejection capability in commercial PPCs and d) further improvement of PPC sensitivity to a number of light dark matter candidates via a dedicated search at the Soudan underground laboratory.
