P-TYPE POINT CONTACT GERMANIUM DETECTORS FOR LOW-LEVEL COUNTING

Germanium detector arrays are needed for low-level counting facilities. The applications in such user facilities include the characterization of low-level radioactive samples. In addition, the same detector arrays can perform important fundamental physics measurements, including the search for rare-events like neutrino-less double-beta decay. Recently, relatively large detectors ( ~ 700 g) having relatively small ( ~ few mm) p+ contacts are being investigated as a possible detector basis for these detector arrays. A detector having a small, relatively low capacitance, p+ contact has been fabricated as a demonstration. The development and properties of the detector system are discussed