Spectrometric Performances of Monocrystalline Artificial Diamond Detectors Operated at High Temperature

This paper reports about the performances of single crystal diamond (SCD) detectors operated at high temperature (up to 200 °C) and irradiated with alpha particles. Two different types of SCD detectors were studied: (a) SCD of commercial type; (b) SCD produced at Rome “Tor Vergata” University and characterized by a layered structure. The first measurement of the response function vs. temperature of commercial SCD detector irradiated with 14 MeV neutrons and heated up to 140 C is also reported. The measurements pointed out the superior performance of diamond with respect to other detectors (e.g., silicon) when operated at high temperature. However, the present work also pointed out that a diamond detector assembled to operate at room temperature can suffer from mechanical stress when operated at high temperature. The results indicate that, with a proper design, diamond detectors can be suitable for operation at high temperature.