Vertically stacked amorphous selenium based VUV photodetectors for use in liquid noble detectors

Abstract

We present results from the characterization of a vertically stacked amorphous selenium (aSe)-based photodetector for use in cryogenic environments. aSe has been identified as an ideal photoconductor that can efficiently convert vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light to charges even at cryogenic temperatures. We have designed and fabricated an aSe device in vertical geometry with top and bottom metal electrodes that produces an electric field perpendicular to the substrate. The top-metal contact has an open design that results in a large fraction of the aSe thin film surface to be active for photodetection. Our experiments show that the vertically stacked aSe device detects light from a Xenon flash lamp in a vacuum environment and can produce measurable signals at \(\sim \)130K. We also demonstrate a significant enhancement in the amplitude of the photoinduced signal by growing graphene on the top-metal contact and the aSe thin film. Our results provide the first demonstration of a vertical aSe based VUV photodetector that utilizes the wide-band optical transparency of graphene top-electrode. Our results could open the doorway to a potentially game-changing solution of an integrated charge and light sensor that can be employed in future large-scale time projection chambers with pixelated anode planes.