Performance of the First 150 mm Diameter Cryogenic Silicon Ionization Detectors with Contact-Free Electrodes

TL;DR

This paper reports on the testing of large 150 mm diameter cryogenic silicon ionization detectors with contact-free electrodes, demonstrating potential for scaling up detector mass and bias voltage in dark matter experiments.

Contribution

First demonstration of 150 mm diameter silicon ionization detectors with contact-free electrodes, showing feasibility for larger-scale cryogenic particle detectors.

Findings

Successful operation of large 150 mm silicon detectors at cryogenic temperatures.

Contact-free electrodes reduce leakage currents at high bias voltages.

Potential for scaling up detector size and bias voltage in dark matter searches.

Abstract

Cryogenic semiconductor detectors operated at temperatures below 100 mK are commonly used in particle physics experiments searching for dark matter. The largest such germanium and silicon detectors, with diameters of 100 mm and thickness of 33 mm, are planned for use by the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment at SNOLAB, Canada. In order to scale up the sensitive mass of future experiments, larger individual detectors are being investigated. We present here the first results of testing two prototype 150 mm diameter silicon ionization detectors. The detectors are 25 mm and 33 mm thick with masses 1.7 and 2.2 times larger than those currently planned for SuperCDMS. These devices were operated with contact-free bias electrodes to minimize leakage currents which currently limit operation at high bias voltages. One detector was instrumented to read out ionization signals using a single contact-free readout electrode and the other with an array of electrodes patterned on the crystal surface. The results show promise for the use of both large volume silicon detectors and contact-free electrode arrangements for scaling up solid state cryogenic detector mass and bias voltage.