Testing of a Prototype Detector of Heavy Charged Particles Based on Diamond Epitaxial Films Obtained by Gas-Phase Deposition

摘要

The results of testing a prototype of a surface-barrier detector of charged particles based on single-crystal epitaxial layers of diamond are presented. Diamond films with p-type conduction with a boron concentration of (4-8) x 10(14) cm(-3) 65 mu m thick were grown using gas-phase deposition on heavily doped diamond substrates grown at high pressure and high temperature. A 17 mm(2) Schottky barrier was formed by sputtering Pt with a thickness of 30 nm. When irradiated from the Pu-238 alpha-source (the 5.499 keV line) a detector with an external bias of 90 V demonstrated a charge collection efficiency close to 100% and a FWHM high energy resolution of 0.56%. The obtained energy resolution is at the level of standard silicon detectors.