COMPACT LOW-NOISE DIAMOND DYNODES

THE UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF SEMICONDUCTING DIAMOND MAY BE EXPLOITED TO CREATE NOVEL, COMPACT, LOW-NOISE PHOTON AND PARTICLE DETECTORS. PHOTOMULTIPLIER TUBES ARE THE DETECTOR OF CHOICE WHEN LIGHT LEVELS ARE LOW OR WHEN THE PROPER SIGNAL MUST BE EXTRACTED FROM A CLUTTERED BACKGROUND. CONTINUOUS DYNODES, KNOWN AS CHANNEL ELECTRON MULTIPLIERS, ARE WIDELY USED AS PARTICLE DETECTORS. INNOVATIVE CHANGES IN THESE DEVICES WOULD GREATLY ENHANCE THEIR UTILITY, SENSITIVITY, STABILITY, AND LIFETIME. RESEARCHERS ARE UTILIZING THE UNUSUAL PROPERTIES OF DIAMOND TO CREATE A HIGH GAIN, LOW-NOISE, COMPACT, STABLE, AND STURDY ELECTRON MULTIPLIER (DYNODE) CHAIN. RECENT ADVANCES IN CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF NEGATIVE ELECTRON AFFINITY (NEA) DIAMOND HAVE MADE THIS FEASIBLE. RESEARCHERS ARE OPTIMIZING THE GROWTH OF NEA DIAMOND FOR THIS APPLICATION AND FULLY INVESTIGATING THE MULTIPLICATIVE AND EMISSIVE PROPERTIES OF THE MATERIAL.