Solar-blind solid-state energetic particle detection for next-generation instruments

In this project, Advent Diamond is developing diamond-based particle detectors, utilizing doped and undoped diamond structures to enable new space-based particle detection instrumentation.nbsp;nbsp;This line of detectors will be enabled by chemical vapor deposition growth of diamond with controlled incorporation of dopants into the diamond lattice. Diamond brings a number of advantages for space-based particle detectors, and is anticipated to enable a new generation of instrumentation. Specifically, the bandgap of diamond is 5.5eV, an energy greater than the photon energy of the majority of the solar spectrum. This is in contrast to silicon, which is the most commonly used semiconductor for solid state detectors, and has a bandgap of 1.1eV.nbsp;nbsp;By using diamond, our proposed detectors are naturally solar-blind without the use of metalized foils needed by silicon or other solid-state detectors.nbsp;nbsp;In turn, this means the detectors can be used to detect lower energy particles.nbsp;nbsp;The detectors will target sensitivity to 50keV-10sMeV particles, with solar blind response for direct solar viewing.nbsp;