Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal Growth
This paper focuses on the research and development of high-purity germanium (HPGe) crystals for detector fabrication, specifically targeting applications in rare-event physics searches. The primary objective was to produce large-scale germanium crystals weighing >1 kg with a controlled diameter o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Crystals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/14/2/177 |
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| author | Sanjay Bhattarai Dongming Mei Narayan Budhathoki Kunming Dong Austin Warren |
| author_facet | Sanjay Bhattarai Dongming Mei Narayan Budhathoki Kunming Dong Austin Warren |
| author_sort | Sanjay Bhattarai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper focuses on the research and development of high-purity germanium (HPGe) crystals for detector fabrication, specifically targeting applications in rare-event physics searches. The primary objective was to produce large-scale germanium crystals weighing >1 kg with a controlled diameter of ∼10 cm and an impurity range of approximately <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>10</mn><mn>10</mn></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula>/cm<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mo> </mo><mn>3</mn></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula>. Ensuring structural integrity and excellent crystalline quality requires a thorough assessment of dislocation density, a critical aspect of the crystal development process. Dislocation density measurements play a crucial role in maximizing the sensitivity of HPGe detectors, and our findings confirmed that the dislocation density fell within acceptable ranges for detector fabrication. Additionally, this paper examines the segregation coefficient of various contaminants during the crystal development process. Comprehensive analysis of impurity segregation is essential for reducing contaminant quantities in the crystal lattice and customizing purification processes. This, in turn, minimizes undesired background noise, enhancing signal-to-noise ratios for rare-event physics searches and overall detector performance. The investigation included the segregation coefficients of three major acceptors and one donor in crystals grown at the University of South Dakota, providing valuable insights for optimizing crystal purity and detector efficiency. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:36:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-69a68f27be9544798b1ead4d22988978 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:36:33Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-69a68f27be9544798b1ead4d229889782024-02-23T15:13:17ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522024-02-0114217710.3390/cryst14020177Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal GrowthSanjay Bhattarai0Dongming Mei1Narayan Budhathoki2Kunming Dong3Austin Warren4Department of Physics, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USADepartment of Physics, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USADepartment of Physics, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USADepartment of Physics, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USADepartment of Physics, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USAThis paper focuses on the research and development of high-purity germanium (HPGe) crystals for detector fabrication, specifically targeting applications in rare-event physics searches. The primary objective was to produce large-scale germanium crystals weighing >1 kg with a controlled diameter of ∼10 cm and an impurity range of approximately <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>10</mn><mn>10</mn></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula>/cm<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mo> </mo><mn>3</mn></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula>. Ensuring structural integrity and excellent crystalline quality requires a thorough assessment of dislocation density, a critical aspect of the crystal development process. Dislocation density measurements play a crucial role in maximizing the sensitivity of HPGe detectors, and our findings confirmed that the dislocation density fell within acceptable ranges for detector fabrication. Additionally, this paper examines the segregation coefficient of various contaminants during the crystal development process. Comprehensive analysis of impurity segregation is essential for reducing contaminant quantities in the crystal lattice and customizing purification processes. This, in turn, minimizes undesired background noise, enhancing signal-to-noise ratios for rare-event physics searches and overall detector performance. The investigation included the segregation coefficients of three major acceptors and one donor in crystals grown at the University of South Dakota, providing valuable insights for optimizing crystal purity and detector efficiency.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/14/2/177crystal growthimpurity segregationdislocation densitynet impurity concentration |
| spellingShingle | Sanjay Bhattarai Dongming Mei Narayan Budhathoki Kunming Dong Austin Warren Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal Growth Crystals crystal growth impurity segregation dislocation density net impurity concentration |
| title | Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal Growth |
| title_full | Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal Growth |
| title_fullStr | Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal Growth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal Growth |
| title_short | Investigating Influential Parameters for High-Purity Germanium Crystal Growth |
| title_sort | investigating influential parameters for high purity germanium crystal growth |
| topic | crystal growth impurity segregation dislocation density net impurity concentration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/14/2/177 |
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