Crystal Growth and Detector Development for Underground Experiments
- The Univ. of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD (United States)
Cosmogenic production in germanium crystals grown on the surface can limit the sensitivity for the next generation deep underground experiments in searching for rare event physics beyond the Standard Model. One of the best solutions to eliminate unwanted cosmogenics is to produce the germanium crystals and detectors in an underground environment. The goal of this project is to create state-of-the-art detectors to advance neutrinoless double-beta decay and dark matter exploration research and technology while simultaneously paving the way for infrastructure to support an underground laboratory for zone refining, crystal growth, and detector fabrication at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The greatest challenge in the growth of germanium crystals is a lack of precise control of individual crystal properties such as the impurity distribution, the dislocation density, and the crystalline structure. With knowledge gained from the pioneers in the field of crystal growth, the researchers have developed a novel technique to grow detector-grade crystals in South Dakota.
- Research Organization:
- The Univ. of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- Contributing Organization:
- The University of South Dakota, South Dakota School Mines and Technology
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0004768
- OSTI ID:
- 1463301
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-USD-SC0004768-FinalReport-01
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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