Ti:Pt:Au:Ni thin-film CVD diamond sensor ability for charged particle detection

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nuclear Instrumentation
• Solid-State Physics

Background:

• Development of robust sensors for extreme environments is crucial for advanced research.
• Diamond sensors offer unique properties but require reliable contact metallization.
• High-pressure gas environments pose challenges for electronic component stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize diamond sensors with reliable contacts for high-pressure gas applications.
• To evaluate the performance of a novel Ti:Pt:Au:Ni metallization scheme on CVD diamond.
• To investigate the sensor's response to alpha radiation and its potential in low energy nuclear reaction studies.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of single-crystal electronic grade CVD diamond sensors with Ti:Pt:Au:Ni thin film contacts (50/5/20/150 nm).
• Current-voltage measurements to determine optimal operating voltage.
• Calibration using 239Pu and 241Am alpha radiation sources at 300 V.
• Energy resolution determination for alpha particles.

Main Results:

• Successful development of diamond sensors with reliable contacts.
• Achieved energy resolution of 7.6% at 5.2 MeV (239Pu) and 2.2% at 5.48 MeV (241Am).
• Demonstrated sensor operation in a high-pressure hydrogen gas loading environment, with no observed ionizing radiation during low energy nuclear reaction experiments.

Conclusions:

• The novel Ti:Pt:Au:Ni metallization provides reliable contacts for diamond sensors in high-pressure gas environments.
• The developed diamond sensors exhibit excellent energy resolution for alpha particle detection.
• The sensor shows potential for in-situ monitoring in experiments investigating low energy nuclear reactions.