The processing of enriched germanium for the Majorana Demonstrator and R&D for a next generation double-beta decay experiment

Abgrall, N.; Arnquist, I. J.; Avignone III, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Bradley, A. W.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Buuck, M.; Caja, J.; Caja, M.; Caldwell, T. S.; Christofferson, C. D.; Chu, P. -H.; Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Dunagan, C.; Dunstan, D. T.; Efremenko, Yu.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Gilliss, T.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goett, J.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guinn, I. S.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Haufe, C. R. S.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Jasinski, B. R.; Kidd, M. F.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; Lopez, A. M.; MacMullin, J.; Martin, R. D.; Massarczyk, R.; Meijer, S. J.; Mertens, S.; Meyer, J. H.; Myslik, J.; O’Shaughnessy, C.; Poon, A. W. P.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Reine, A. L.; Reising, J. A.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Shanks, B.; Shirchenko, M.; Suriano, A. M.; Tedeschi, D.; Toth, L. M.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Yu, C. -H.; Yumatov, V.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhu, B. X.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2017.09.036

Title: The processing of enriched germanium for the Majorana Demonstrator and R&D for a next generation double-beta decay experiment

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2017.09.036· OSTI ID:1402099

Abgrall, N.; Arnquist, I. J.; Avignone III, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Bradley, A. W.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Buuck, M.; Caja, J.; Caja, M.; Caldwell, T. S.; Christofferson, C. D.; Chu, P. -H.; Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Dunagan, C.; Dunstan, D. T.; Efremenko, Yu.; Ejiri, H. more »

The Majorana Demonstrator is an array of point-contact Ge detectors fabricated from Ge isotopically enriched to 88% in to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. The processing of Ge for germanium detectors is a well-known technology. However, because of the high cost of Ge enriched in special procedures were required to maximize the yield of detector mass and to minimize exposure to cosmic rays. These procedures include careful accounting for the material; shielding it to reduce cosmogenic generation of radioactive isotopes; and development of special reprocessing techniques for contaminated solid germanium, shavings, grindings, acid etchant and cutting fluids from detector fabrication. Processing procedures were developed that resulted in a total yield in detector mass of 70%. However, none of the acid-etch solution and only 50% of the cutting fluids from detector fabrication were reprocessed. Had they been processed, the projections for the recovery yield would be between 80% and 85%. Maximizing yield is critical to justify a possible future ton-scale experiment. A process for recovery of germanium from the acid-etch solution was developed with yield of about 90%. All material was shielded or stored underground whenever possible to minimize the formation of 68Ge by cosmic rays, which contributes background in the double-beta decay region of interest and cannot be removed by zone refinement and crystal growth. Formation of 68Ge was reduced by a significant factor over that in natural abundance detectors not protected from cosmic rays.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP); National Science Foundation (NSF); Russian Foundation for Basic Research

Contributing Organization:: Majorana Collaboration; GERDA Collaboration

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396; AC05-76RL01830; AC02-05CH11231; FG02-97ER41041; FG02-97ER41033; FG02-97ER41042,; SC0012612; FG02-10ER41715; SC0010254; FG02-97ER41020; PHY-0919270, PHY-1003940, PHY-0855314; PHY-1202950; MRI 0923142; PHY-1307204; PHY-1003399; 15-02-02919; AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1402099

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1402647; OSTI ID: 1413485; OSTI ID: 1419471; OSTI ID: 1454382

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-17-26439; PNNL-SA-123765; S0168900217310069; PII: S0168900217310069

Journal Information:: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Journal Name: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment Vol. 877 Journal Issue: C; ISSN 0168-9002

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Netherlands

Language:: English

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Cited by: 16 works

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Title: The processing of enriched germanium for the Majorana Demonstrator and R&D for a next generation double-beta decay experiment

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