New Milestone in Germanium Crystal Growth at USD Advances Ge-Based Scientific Experiments
High-purity germanium crystals are critical for the production of advanced radiation detectors, which are essential for key scientific experiments, including the search for dark matter and the study of neutrino properties, such as neutrinoless double-beta decay.
However, the global supply of detector-grade germanium crystals is limited, with only four commercial companies worldwide capable of producing them. This shortage has led to a significant bottleneck for large-scale underground experiments.
To address this challenge, 15 years ago, the University of South Dakota launched a research and development program led by Dongming Mei, Ph.D., focusing on innovative methods to increase the yield of detector-grade germanium crystals.
The primary goal of the program is to ensure a reliable supply of these crystals for large-scale experiments that explore fundamental scientific questions, such as the nature of dark matter and neutrinos.
In a recent milestone, USD’s research team, under the supervision of Mei and with the crystal growth operations team led by Sanjay Bhattarai, Ph.D., made significant progress in improving the efficiency of germanium crystal production.
Historically, the lab achieved a 30% yield of detector-grade crystals every 6-8 growths. Thanks to recent advancements, this yield has now increased to an impressive 40-50%.
Over the past two weeks, the lab has successfully produced more than 3 kg of detector-grade germanium crystals from just two growths, including a single crystal weighing 2.2 kg.
This achievement highlights the success of USD’s long-term research and development efforts and marks a significant milestone in germanium crystal growth technology.
The improved production capabilities not only address the global shortage of these essential materials but also enhance the lab’s capacity to meet the growing demand for high-quality detector-grade crystals.
Given the market value of detector-grade germanium – approximately $30,000 per kilogram – this advancement holds significant promise for driving both scientific research and commercial applications.
The increased availability of detector-grade germanium crystals will support critical experiments in the search for dark matter and the study of neutrino properties, leading to groundbreaking discoveries in the fields of particle physics and cosmology.
This research program is supported by the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and the State of South Dakota.
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