Burn-in Test and Thermal Performance Evaluation of Silicon Photomultipliers for the JUNO-TAO Experiment

TL;DR

This study assesses the long-term performance and stability of over 4,000 silicon photomultipliers for the JUNO-TAO experiment through burn-in and cryogenic tests, ensuring their reliability for neutrino detection.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive evaluation protocol for large-scale SiPMs, including burn-in and thermal testing, to ensure their suitability for long-term neutrino experiments.

Findings

All SiPMs passed the burn-in test at room temperature.

Cryogenic testing revealed thermal dependence of SiPM parameters.

Results guide optimal SiPM selection and operation for TAO.

Abstract

This study evaluates more than 4,000 tiles made of Hamamatsu visual-sensitive silicon photomultipier (SiPM), each with dimensions of 5 $\times$ 5 cm$^2$, intended for the central detector of the Taishan Anti-neutrino Observatory (TAO), a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) aimed at measuring the reactor anti-neutrino energy spectrum with unprecedented energy resolution. All SiPM tiles underwent a room temperature burn-in test in the dark for two weeks, while cryogenic testing analyzed the thermal dependence of parameters for some sampled SiPMs. Results from these comprehensive tests provide crucial insights into the long-term performance and stability of the 10 square meters of SiPMs operating at -50{\deg}C to detect scintillation photons in the TAO detector. Despite some anomalies awaiting further inspection, all SiPMs successfully passed the burn-in test over two weeks at room temperature, which is equivalent to 6.7 years at -50{\deg}C. Results are also used to guide optimal SiPM selection, configuration, and operation, ensuring reliability and sustainability in reactor neutrino measurements. This work also provides insights for a rapid and robust quality assessment in future experiments that employ large-scale SiPMs as detection systems.