Silicon Photosensor Development for the Low-Background Frontier

这项提议旨在利用英国世界领先的硅探测器集成能力，扩大英国在用于低本底物理的大型硅光倍增器(SiPM)阵列探测器方面的领导地位。低背景物理实验解决了当今科学中一些最基本的开放问题：宇宙中的大多数物质是由什么组成的？暗物质是如何与我们相互作用的？为什么我们生活在一个物质主导的宇宙中？在粒子物理学的宇宙和强度前沿研究这些问题的实验越来越多地使用充满液体惰性气体的探测器。当粒子相互作用时，液体贵金属会产生闪烁光，这是由光电传感器探测器阵列探测到的。硅探测器在能量前沿彻底改变了粒子物理学，在强度和宇宙前沿变得越来越重要。暗物质和低能中微子物理学的主要挑战是在实现超低背景相互作用率的同时最大化信号探测效率。在液体贵重暗物质和中微子实验中，越来越多的人达成共识，即硅光倍增(SiPM)探测器是应对这些挑战的关键技术。在最近的STFC暗物质战略回顾中认识到了发展英国在这一领域的领导地位的重要性：“为未来使用惰性气体的大规模直接DM搜索而开发的SiPM为英国提供了投资于早期研发的机会，以便在未来的任何下一代实验中实现技术领先。研发将专注于包括电子设备在内的大型SiPM瓷砖阵列的设计、生产和测试。”该提案侧重于包括电子设备在内的大型SiPM瓷砖阵列的设计、生产和测试。目前集成用于低本底实验的大型SiPM瓷砖阵列的最先进技术是暗侧光子探测器模块(PDM)。该产品数据管理系统由一组约1平方厘米的SiPM(“瓦片”)组成，这些SiPM(“瓦片”)粘结到基板上，形成25平方厘米的光敏区，连接到低温前端电子设备，将来自所有瓦片的信号结合在一起并对其进行调节。这项建议旨在通过以下方式发展未来的技术领先地位：1.研发：在当前最先进的基础上，开发用于低本底实验的平铺硅阵列探测器。我们将制定新的集成和读出战略，以减少放射性并扩大未来实验的物理覆盖范围，这些战略可能会在Boulby地下实验室举行；2.知识交流：利用全球Argon暗物质合作中积累的知识和世界领先的英国设施，我们将开发生产工艺和专业知识，以制造和测试改进的、低本底的PDMS；以及3.能力建设：通过为Darkside外探测器的一个子系统生产PDMS，展示为全球下一代液体惰性气体实验建造和测试PDMS的能力。为了执行这一雄心勃勃的计划，我们汇集了一组专家，他们为大型强子对撞机和空间实验建造了硅探测器，暗物质和中微子物理实验学家推动了超低放射性的前沿，理论家们基于仪器的进步扩大了新物理搜索的视野。探测器的开发是粒子物理发现的引擎。这项提议旨在开发新技术，以确保我们在英国的领域的活力，并通过积极的研发，使STFC研究面向未来，具有出色的未来发现潜力。

This proposal aims to leverage the UK's world-leading silicon detector integration capability to grow UK leadership in large silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM) array detectors for low-background physics.Low background physics experiments address some of the most fundamental open questions in science today: what is most of the matter in the universe made of? how does dark matter interact with us? why do we live in a matter-dominated universe? Experiments studying these questions at the cosmic and intensity frontiers of particle physics increasingly employ detectors filled with liquid noble gases. Liquid nobles produce scintillation light when particles interact, which is detected with arrays of photo-sensor detectors.Silicon detectors have revolutionised particle physics at the energy frontier, and are increasingly important at the intensity and cosmic frontiers. The major challenge in dark matter and low-energy neutrino physics is to maximise signal detection efficiency whilst achieving ultra-low background interaction rates. There is a growing consensus across liquid noble dark matter and neutrino experiments that silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM) detectors are the key enabling technology to meet these challenges. The importance of developing UK leadership in this area was recognised in the recent STFC Dark Matter Strategic Review: "The development of SiPMs for future large-scale direct-DM searches using noble gases provides the opportunity for the UK to invest in early R&D in order to achieve technological leadership in any future next generation experiment. R&D would focus on the design, production and testing of large SiPM tile arrays including electronics."This proposal focuses on the design, production and testing of large SiPM tile arrays including electronics. The state-of-the-art in integration of large SiPM tile arrays for low-background experiments today is the DarkSide photon detector module (PDM). The PDM consists of an array of ~1 cm2 SiPMs ('tiles') bonded to a substrate to form a 25 cm2 photosensitive area, connected to cryogenic front end electronics that combine the signal from all tiles and condition it. This proposal aims to develop technological leadership for the future through:1. R&D: on developing tiled Si array detectors for low-background experiments beyond the current state-of-the-art. We will develop new integration and readout strategies to reduce radioactivity and expand the physics reach of future experiments, potentially hosted at Boulby Underground Laboratory; 2. Knowledge Exchange: leveraging knowledge built up in the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration and world-leading UK facilities, we will develop production processes and expertise to manufacture and test improved, lower-background PDMs; and,3. Capacity building: demonstrating capacity to build and test PDMs for the global next-generation liquid noble gas experiment through producing PDMs for a sub-system of DarkSide's outer detector. To execute this ambitious programme we bring together a team of experts that have built silicon detectors for the Large Hadron Collider and space-based experiments, dark matter and neutrino physics experimentalists pushing the frontiers of ultra-low radioactivity, and theorists expanding the horizons for new physics searches based on advances in instrumentation.Detector development is the engine of discovery in particle physics. This proposal aims to develop new technologies to ensure vitality of our field in the UK, and to future-proof STFC research through active R&D, with outstanding discovery potential for the future.