The processing of enriched germanium for the Majorana   Demonstrator  and R&D for a next generation double-beta decay experiment

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  • Abgrall, N.
    • Other Affiliation: Nuclear Science Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Arnquist, I.J.
    • Other Affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Avignone III, F.T.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of South Carolina
  • Barabash, A.S.
    • Other Affiliation: National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
  • Bertrand, F.E.
    • Other Affiliation: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Bradley, A.W.
    • Other Affiliation: Nuclear Science Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Brudanin, V.
    • Other Affiliation: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  • Busch, M.
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Buuck, M.
    • Other Affiliation: Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics; Department of Physics; University of Washington
  • Caja, J.
    • Other Affiliation: Electrochemical Systems Inc.
  • Caja, M.
    • Other Affiliation: Electrochemical Systems Inc.
  • Caldwell, T.S.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Christofferson, C.D.
    • Other Affiliation: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
  • Chu, P.-H.
    • Other Affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Cuesta, C.
    • Other Affiliation: Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics; Department of Physics; University of Washington
  • Detwiler, J.A.
    • Other Affiliation: Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics; Department of Physics; University of Washington
  • Dunagan, C.
    • Other Affiliation: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
  • Dunstan, D.T.
    • Other Affiliation: Electrochemical Systems Inc.
  • Efremenko, Yu.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Tennessee
  • Ejiri, H.
    • Other Affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Physics and Department of Physics; Osaka University
  • Elliott, S.R.
    • Other Affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Gilliss, T.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Giovanetti, G.K.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics; Princeton University
  • Goett, J.
    • Other Affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Green, M.P.
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Gruszko, J.
    • Other Affiliation: Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics; Department of Physics; University of Washington
  • Guinn, I.S.
    • Other Affiliation: Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics; Department of Physics; University of Washington
  • Guiseppe, V.E.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of South Carolina
  • Haufe, C.R.S.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Henning, R.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Hoppe, E.W.
    • Other Affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Jasinski, B.R.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics; University of South Dakota
  • Kidd, M.F.
    • Other Affiliation: Tennessee Tech University
  • Konovalov, S.I.
    • Other Affiliation: National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
  • Kouzes, R.T.
    • Other Affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Lopez, A.M.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of Tennessee
  • MacMullin, J.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Martin, R.D.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics; Engineering Physics and Astronomy; Queen's University
  • Massarczyk, R.
    • Other Affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Meijer, S.J.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Mertens, S.
    • Other Affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Physik
  • Meyer, J.H.
    • Other Affiliation: J.H. Meyer Consultants LLC
  • Myslik, J.
    • Other Affiliation: Nuclear Science Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • O'Shaughnessy, C.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Poon, A.W.P.
    • Other Affiliation: Nuclear Science Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Radford, D.C.
    • Other Affiliation: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Rager, J.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Reine, A.L.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Reising, J.A.
    • Other Affiliation: J.H. Meyer Consultants LLC
  • Rielage, K.
    • Other Affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Robertson, R.G.H.
    • Other Affiliation: Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics; Department of Physics; University of Washington
  • Shanks, B.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Shirchenko, M.
    • Other Affiliation: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  • Suriano, A.M.
    • Other Affiliation: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
  • Tedeschi, D.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of South Carolina
  • Toth, L.M.
    • Other Affiliation: Electrochemical Systems Inc.
  • Trimble, J.E.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Varner, R.L.
    • Other Affiliation: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Vasilyev, S.
    • Other Affiliation: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  • Vetter, K.
    • Other Affiliation: Nuclear Science Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Vorren, K.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • White, B.R.
    • Other Affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Wilkerson, J.F.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Wiseman, C.
    • Other Affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of South Carolina
  • Xu, X.
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • Other Affiliation: Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  • Yakushev, E.
    • Other Affiliation: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  • Yu, C.-H.
    • Other Affiliation: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Yumatov, V.
    • Other Affiliation: National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
  • Zhitnikov, I.
    • Other Affiliation: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  • Zhu, B.X.
    • Other Affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Abstract
  • The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an array of point-contact Ge detectors fabricated from Ge isotopically enriched to 88% in Ge-76 to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. The processing of Ge for germanium detectors is a well-known technology. However, because of the high cost of Ge enriched in Ge-76, special procedures were required to maximize the yield of detector mass and to minimize exposure to cosmic rays. These procedures include careful accounting for the material; shielding it to reduce cosmogenic generation of radioactive isotopes; and development of special reprocessing techniques for contaminated solid germanium, shavings, grindings, acid etchant and cutting fluids from detector fabrication. Processing procedures were developed that resulted in a total yield in detector mass of 70%. However, none of the acid-etch solution and only 50% of the cutting fluids from detector fabrication were reprocessed. Had they been processed, the projections for the recovery yield would be between 80 -- 85%. Maximizing yield is critical to justify a possible future ton-scale experiment. A process for recovery of germanium from the acid-etch solution was developed with yield of about 90%. All material was shielded or stored underground whenever possible to minimize the formation of Ge-68 by cosmic rays, which contributes background in the double-beta decay region of interest and cannot be removed by zone refinement and crystal growth. Formation of Ge-68 was reduced by a significant factor over that in natural abundance detectors not protected from cosmic rays.
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Resource type
  • Article
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
License
  • Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Journal title
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A - Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment
Journal volume
  • 877
Page start
  • 314
Page end
  • 322
Language
  • English
ISSN
  • 0168-9002
  • 1872-9576

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