Ultra-Low Noise Mechanically Cooled Germanium Detector

TL;DR

This paper introduces methods to significantly reduce electronic noise in germanium radiation detectors using ultra-low vibration cooling and advanced wiring techniques, enabling detection of lower-energy signals.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel approach combining mechanical cooling and wire bonding to achieve electronic noise below 40 eV-FWHM in germanium detectors.

Findings

Electronic noise below 40 eV-FWHM achieved

Enhanced sensitivity for low-energy physics experiments

Effective noise reduction through mechanical cooling and wire bonding

Abstract

Low capacitance, large volume, high purity germanium (HPGe) radiation detectors have been successfully employed in low-background physics experiments. However, some physical processes may not be detectable with existing detectors whose energy thresholds are limited by electronic noise. In this paper, methods are presented which can lower the electronic noise of these detectors. Through ultra-low vibration mechanical cooling and wire bonding of a CMOS charge sensitive preamplifier to a sub-pF p-type point contact HPGe detector, we demonstrate electronic noise levels below 40 eV-FWHM.