The Semiconductor Detector Laboratory (SDL) has a rich history in the development and fabrication of high-purity germanium (HPGe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors. Our current projects are focused on pushing the boundaries of detector performance.
At the SDL, we are fabricating the HPGe detectors for the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) satellite mission. The satellite will have sixteen double-sided strip detectors that will form the payload’s Compton camera. These detectors will be used to map the distribution of antimatter in the Milky Way, among other scientific analyses. The photograph below shows a previous set of similar detectors made in the SDL for a past COSI balloon mission.
Another active project is focused on pushing the rate performance of these detectors. We are designing and fabricating detectors that maintain excellent energy resolution and throughput at count rates in excess of 1 Mcps. At the same time, we are developing modular, high-rate detector readout and data acquisition electronics. One of the devices we have successfully characterized is shown below.
Other ongoing projects in this area include:
- Development of ultra-low noise and ultra-low background front-end electronics for HPGe detectors
- Development and demonstration of a compact CZT-based detector system for in-situ beta-spectroscopy
- Exploration and characterization of contact technologies for HPGe detectors
- Development of single-photon sensing HPGe devices
