Thermal-vacuum behavior of lithium-drifted silicon detectors☆

Abstract The potential advantages of lithium-drifted silicon detectors compared with conventional silicon surface-barrier detectors under conditions of a thermal-vacuum environment are discussed. Both surface-barrier and n-i-p lithium-drifted detectors have been fabricated which will operate at elevated temperatures and high vacuum for extended periods of time with no evidence of noise instability. The operating characteristics of several litjium-drifted silicon detectors have been studied before, during and after environmental testing to investigate the effects of such testing on detector properties. The results of these studies are reported.