Feasibility study of SiGHT: a novel ultra low background photosensor for low temperature operation

Abstract

Rare event search experiments, such as those searching for dark matter and observations of neutrinoless double beta decay, require ultra low levels of radioactive background for unmistakable identification. In order to reduce the radioactive backgrounds of detectors used in these types of event searches, low background photosensors are required, as the physical size of these detectors become increasing larger, and hence the number of such photosensors used also increases rapidly. Considering that most dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments are turning towards using noble liquids as the target choice, liquid xenon and liquid argon for instance, photosensors that can work well at cryogenic temperatures are required, 165 K and 87 K for liquid xenon and liquid argon, respectively. The Silicon Geiger Hybrid Tube (SiGHT) is a novel photosensor designed specifically for use in ultra low background experiments operating at cryogenic temperatures. It is based on the proven photocathode plus silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) hybrid technology and consists of very few other, but also ultra radio-pure, materials like fused silica and silicon for the SiPM. The introduction of the SiGHT concept, as well as a feasibility study for its production, is reported in this paper.

References in corpus (17)

• Dark Matter Results from 225 Live Days of XENON100 Data
• Dark Matter Results from 100 Live Days of XENON100 Data
• Dark Matter Results from First 98.7-day Data of PandaX-II Experiment
• Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in ${}^{136}$Xe with EXO-200
• Improved Limits on Scattering of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles from Reanalysis of 2013 LUX data
• Liquid noble gas detectors for low energy particle physics
• Characterisation Studies of Silicon Photomultipliers
• Results from the first use of low radioactivity argon in a dark matter search
• Direct dark matter detection: the next decade
• The Majorana Demonstrator Radioassay Program
• Fluorescence Efficiency and Visible Re-emission Spectrum of Tetraphenyl Butadiene Films at Extreme Ultraviolet Wavelengths
• Lowering the radioactivity of the photomultiplier tubes for the XENON1T dark matter experiment
• Characterization of the Hamamatsu R11410-10 3-Inch Photomultiplier Tube for Liquid Xenon Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiments
• Demonstration and Comparison of Operation of Photomultiplier Tubes at Liquid Argon Temperature
• Characterization of the QUartz Photon Intensifying Detector (QUPID) for Noble Liquid Detectors
• A new generation photodetector for astroparticle physics: the VSiPMT
• Dark Matter Search with liquid Noble Gases