Applied Diamond, Inc. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 24b

Description

Detectors and radiation monitors for future high energy and nuclear physics experiments must be able to withstand radiation environments several orders of magnitude harsher than those of any current device. At present, most radiation detectors are based on silicon technology, however, the practical radiation tolerance of silicon falls far short of requirements in future experiments and silicon must be cooled restricting the locations where it can be used. New radiation tolerant technologies must be developed to fill this gap and diamond has proven to be one such technology. Diamond radiation detectors have historically encountered restricted usage due to the limitations of natural diamonds including their small size and lack of control of material characteristics and surface properties. Advances in the growth of high quality Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond have created high purity diamond and an opportunity for the application of this material in practical detectors. This proposal addresses a need for a detector to be used where cooling is difficult and radiation levels are high. To probe nuclei, scientists collide high-energy beams of electrons like those generated at CEBAF (JLAB) into atoms while studying the products of those collisions. To probe the structure of nuclei at smaller distance scales and larger momentum transfers, JLAB is upgrading the energy of its electron accelerator from 6 to 12GeV. A particular class of experiments probes for new physics beyond the Standard Model requiring extremely precise knowledge of the electron beam polarization. In order to achieve acceptable precision, it is necessary to place the detector very close to the beam. Coupled with the expectation of long life-time and the potential for high current operation, the radiation dose seen by these detectors can approach 100 kGy for some experiments. For this project, we intend to develop processes for making high quality diamond films that provide increased signal, sufficient to overcome the additional noise inherent in placing electronics further from the detector. Applied Diamond will also increase contact density to achieve precision acceptable for these experiments. The proposed approach has the potential for a significant impact on nuclear physics research. While solving an immediate and pressing problem, this technology will also advance the use of radiation tolerant diamond detectors in future nuclear and high energy physics experiments. Man-made diamond quality has improved sufficiently to allow the manufacture of high performance radiation and particle detectors. Applied Diamond will investigate novel contact fabrication methods and designs to further expand potential applications for this radiation tolerant material.