Dr Kevin Thieme

Abstract:

Silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs) are state-of-the-art sensors capable of detecting a single photoelectron under cryogenic conditions, with potentially lower radioactivity than widely used photomultiplier tubes. The DarkSide-20k experiment, designed to perform direct dark matter searches using liquid argon as the target material, employs SiPM technology to detect interactions in the active detector volumes, including the central dual-phase Time Projection Chamber and the Inner and Outer Veto volumes. The vetoes are designed to discriminate against radiogenic neutron and cosmic muon backgrounds associated with the dark matter search. This paper describes the completed production and test protocols for the “Veto Tiles” (called vTiles, arrays of 24 SiPMs integrated on a printed circuit board providing the power distribution and signal amplification); 16 vTiles are grouped into “Veto Photo-Detector Units” to instrument the Inner Veto volume. Each vTile underwent detailed testing at room and cryogenic temperatures, confirming stable operation, high signal-to-noise ratio, and low radioactive contamination, demonstrating the robustness of the proposed design for cryogenic conditions. The final production yield exceeded 87%, surpassing the 80% requirement and corresponding to 1920 Veto Tiles to populate 120 Veto Photo-Detector Units, plus an additional 6% as spares.

Abstract:

Abstract The DarkSide-20k dark matter direct detection experiment will employ a $${21}\,\hbox {m}^{2}$$ 21 m 2 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array, instrumenting a dual-phase 50 tonnes liquid argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC). SiPMs are arranged into modular photosensors called Tiles , each integrating 24 SiPMs onto a printed circuit board (PCB) that provides signal amplification, power distribution, and a single-ended output for simplified readout. $$16$$ 16 Tiles are further grouped into Photo-Detector Units (PDUs). This paper details the production of the Tiles and the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA-QC) protocol established to ensure their performance and uniformity. The production and QA-QC of the Tiles are carried out at Nuova Officina Assergi (NOA), an ISO-6 clean room facility at LNGS. This process includes wafer-level cryogenic characterisation, precision die attaching, wire bonding, and extensive electrical and optical validation of each Tile. The overall production yield exceeds 83.5%, matching the requirements of the DarkSide-20k production plan. These results validate the robustness of the Tile design and its suitability for operation in a cryogenic environment.

Abstract:

DarkSide-20k is a novel liquid argon dark matter detector currently under construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) that will push the sensitivity for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) detection into the neutrino fog. The core of the apparatus is a dual-phase Time Projection Chamber (TPC), filled with 50 tonnes of low radioactivity underground argon (UAr) acting as the WIMP target. NUV-HD-cryo Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM)s designed by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) (Trento, Italy) were selected as the photon sensors covering two 10.5m2 Optical Planes, one at each end of the TPC, and a total of 5m2 photosensitive surface for the liquid argon veto detectors. This paper describes the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) plan and procedures accompanying the production of FBK NUV-HD-cryo SiPM wafers manufactured by LFoundry s.r.l. (Avezzano, AQ, Italy). SiPM characteristics are measured at 77 K at the wafer level with a custom-designed probe station. As of March 2025, 1314 of the 1400 production wafers (94% of the total) for DarkSide-20k were tested. The wafer yield is 93.2±2.5%, which exceeds the 80% specification defined in the original DarkSide-20k production plan.