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The 2nd workshop on Germanium (Ge) detectors and technology was held at the University of South Dakota on September 14-17th 2014, with more than 113 participants from 8 countries, 22 institutions, 15 national laboratories, and 8 companies. The participants represented the following big projects: (1) GERDA and Majorana for the search of neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ); (2) SuperCDMS, EDELWEISS, CDEX, and CoGeNT for search of dark matter; (3) TEXONO for sub-keV neutrino physics; (4) AGATA and GRETINA for gamma tracking; (5) AARM and others for low background radiation counting; (5) as well as PNNL and LBNL for applications of Ge detectors in homeland security. All participants have expressed a strong desire on having better understanding of Ge detector performance and advancing Ge technology for large-scale applications.

The purpose of this workshop was to leverage the unique aspects of the underground laboratories in the world and the germanium (Ge) crystal growing infrastructure at the University of South Dakota (USD) by brining researchers from several institutions taking part in the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) together with key leaders from international laboratories and prestigious universities, working on the forefront of the intensity to advance underground physics focusing on the searches for dark matter, neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ), and neutrino properties. The goal of the workshop was to develop opportunities for EPSCoR institutions to play key roles in the planned world-class research experiments. The workshop was to integrate individual talents and existing research capabilities, from multiple disciplines and multiple institutions, to develop research collaborations, which includes EPSCor institutions from South Dakota, North Dakota, Alabama, Iowa, and South Carolina to support multi-ton scale experiments for future.

The topic areas covered in the workshop were: 1) science related to Ge-based detectors and technology; 2) Ge zone refining and crystal growth; 3) Ge detector development; 4) Ge orientated business and applications; 5) Ge recycling and recovery; 6) introduction to underground sciences for young scientists; and 7) introduction of experimental techniques for low background experiments to young scientists. Sections 1-5 were dedicated to Ge detectors and technology. Each topic was complemented with a panel discussion on challenges, critical measures, and R&D activities. Sections 6-7 provided students and postdocs an opportunity to understand fundamental principles of underground sciences and experimental techniques on low background experiments. To these two sections, well-known scientists in the field were invited to give lectures and allow young scientists to make presentations on their own research activities.

Fifty-six invited talks were delivered during the three-day workshop. Many critical questions were addressed not only in the specific talks but also in the panel discussions. Details of the panel discussions, as well as conference photos, the list of committees and the workshop website can be found in the PDF.

All papers published in this volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series have been peer reviewed through processes administered by the proceedings Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.

The China Dark Matter Experiment (CDEX) pursues direct searches of light Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL), which is the deepest operating laboratory for astroparticle research in the world. Results from a prototype CDEX-0 20 g germanium detector array and CDEX-1 994 g pPCGe(p-type Point Contact Germanium) detector are reported. The new result from CDEX-1 pPCGe excludes the CoGeNT-2013 allowed region with an identical detector technique. CDEX-10 with a PCGearray of 10 kg target mass range enclosed in a liquid argon anti-Compton detector is being constructed and tested. The CDEX program evolves into the targets of "CDEX-1T Experiment". The CDEX-1T experiment will be located in CJPL-II which is under construction and will be finished by the end of 2016.

EDELWEISS is a direct dark matter search program looking for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in the GeV-TeVmass range using an array of cryogenic Ge monocrystals. These high-performance detectors are read out simultaneously by NTD thermal sensors and by surface electrodes. They are installed in the deepest European underground laboratory in Modane. The third phase of the experiment is currently ongoing with a major upgrade of the setup. New FID800 Ge bolometers have been developed and the shielding has been improved to lower the background. In addition, the cryogenic and acquisition systems have been upgraded to improve energy resolutions and thresholds.

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search Experiment (CDMS) and its successor, SuperCDMS, have had a long history of establishing world-leading upper limits on the interaction of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) with standard model nucleons. SuperCDMS uses arrays of cryogenic germanium detectors to achieve excellent discrimination between the nuclear recoils expected for WIMP interactions and radioactively produced electron recoils through the collection of ionization and athermal phonons. Recent analyses of the data collected from the current installation of Interleaved Z-Sensitive Ionization and Phonon (iZIP) detectors have probed new regions of the WIMP parameter space, particularly in the region of low-mass WIMP interactions. This paper will discuss the current work of the SuperCDMS collaboration.

Neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay is a hypothesized process where in some even-even nuclei it might be possible for two neutrons to simultaneously decay into two protons and two electrons without emitting neutrinos. This is possible only if neutrinos are Majorana particles, i.e. fermions that are their own antiparticles. Neutrinos being Majorana particles would explicitly violate lepton number conservation, and might play a role in the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay would also provide complementary information related to neutrino masses. The Majorana Collaboration is constructing the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, with a total of 40-kg Germanium detectors, to search for the 0νββ decay of ⁷⁶Ge and to demonstrate a background rate at or below 3 counts/(ROI·t·y) in the 4 keV region of interest (ROI) around the 2039 keV Q-value for ⁷⁶Ge 0νββ decay. In this paper, we discuss the physics of neutrinoless double beta decay and then focus on the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, including its design and approach to achieve ultra-low backgrounds and the status of the experiment.

The goal of the Majorana Demonstrator project is to search for 0νββ decay in ⁷⁶Ge. Of all candidate isotopes for 0νββ, ⁷⁶Ge has some of the most favorable characteristics. Germanium detectors are a well established technology, and in searches for 0νββ, the high purity germanium crystal acts simultaneously as source and detector. Furthermore, p-type germanium detectors provide excellent energy resolution and a specially designed point contact geometry allows for sensitive pulse shape discrimination. This paper will summarize the experiences the MAJORANA collaboration made with enriched germanium detectors manufactured by ORTEC^®®.

The process from production, to characterization and integration in MAJORANA mounting structure will be described. A summary of the performance of all enriched germanium detectors will be given.

The Germanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment is searching for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of ⁷⁶Ge by operating bare germanium diodes in liquid argon. GERDA is located at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) in Italy. During Phase I, a total exposure of 21.6 kg yrand a background index of 0.01 cts/(keVkg yr) were reached. No signal was observed and a lower limit of T^0ν_1/2 > 2.1 · 10²⁵ yr(90% C.L.) is derived for the half life of the 0νββ decay of ⁷⁶Ge.

Phase I of the Germanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment, searching for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of ⁷⁶Ge, was completed in September 2013. The most competitive half-life lower limit for the 0νββ decay of ⁷⁶Ge was set (T-^0ν_1/2 > 2.1 · 10²⁵ yr at 90% C.L.). GERDA operates bare Ge diodes immersed in liquid argon. During Phase I, mainly refurbished semi-coaxial high purity Ge detectors from previous experiments were used. The experience gained with handling and operating bare Ge diodes in liquid argon, as well as the stability and performance of the detectors during GERDA Phase I are presented. Thirty additional new enriched BEGe-type detectors were produced and will be used in Phase II. A subgroup of these detectors has already been used successfully in GERDA Phase I. The present paper gives an overview of the production chain of the new germanium detectors, the steps taken to minimise the exposure to cosmic radiation during manufacturing, and the first results of characterisation measurements in vacuum cryostats.

The GeDetgroup at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich, Germany, operates a number of test stands in order to conduct research on novel germanium detectors. The test stands are of a unique design and construction that provide the ability to probe the properties of new detector types. The GALATEA test stand was especially designed for surface scans, specifically a-induced surface events, a problem faced in low background experiments due to unavoidable surface contamination of detectors. A special 19-fold segmented coaxial prototype detector has already been investigated inside GALATEA with an a-source. A top surface scan provided insight into the physics underneath the passivation layer. Detector segmentation provides a direct path towards background identification and characterisation. With this in mind, a 4-fold segmentation scheme was implemented on a broad-energy point-contact detector and is being investigated inside the groups K1 test stand. A cryogenic test-stand where detectors can be submerged directly in liquid nitrogen or argon is also available. The goal is to establish segmentation as a viable option to reduce background in future large scale experiments.

The Majorana Demonstrator is a planned 40 kg array of Germanium detectors intended to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing a tonne-scale experiment that will seek neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in ⁷⁶Ge. Such an experiment would require backgrounds of less than 1 count/tonne-year in the 4 keV region of interest around the 2039 keV Q-value of the ββ decay. Designing low-noise electronics, which must be placed in close proximity to the detectors, presents a challenge to reaching this background target. This paper will discuss the Majorana collaboration's solutions to some of these challenges.

I describe physics potential and experimental prospects for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS), a process which has not yet been observed. Germanium- based detectors represent a promising technology for CEvNS experiments. I focus primarily on stopped-pion neutrino sources.

A detector of O(1 kg) modular mass with O(100 eV) threshold at O(1 kg^-1keV^-1day^-1) background level finds tremendous application in the field of neutrino and dark matter physics. This novel detector demands overcoming several challenges at both hardware and software levels. The collaboration is exploring Germanium detection technology and highlights of the R & D program are presented. The salient features of various detector configuration and the applied analysis methodologies are discussed. In particular the differentiation of surface and bulk events by pulse shape analysis in point contact Germanium detector is described. These advances pave the way for new detector technique to be fully exploited.

High-purity germanium crystal growth is challenging work, requiring the control of individual crystal properties such as the impurity distribution, the dislocation density, and the crystalline structure. Currently, we grow high-purity germanium crystals by the Czochralski method in our laboratory in order to understand the details of the growing process, especially for large diameter crystals. In this paper, we report the progress of detector-grade germanium crystal growth at the University of South Dakota.

In the crystal growth lab of South Dakota University, we are growing high purity germanium (HPGe) crystals and using the grown crystals to make radiation detectors. As the detector grade HPGe crystals, they have to meet two critical requirements: an impurity level of ∼10⁹ to 10 atoms /cm³ and a dislocation density in the range of ∼10² to 10⁴ / cm³. In the present work, we have used the following four characterization techniques to investigate the properties of the grown crystals. First of all, an x-ray diffraction method was used to determine crystal orientation. Secondly, the van der Pauw Hall effect measurement was used to measure the electrical properties. Thirdly, a photo-thermal ionization spectroscopy (PTIS) was used to identify what the impurity atoms are in the crystal. Lastly, an optical microscope observation was used to measure dislocation density in the crystal. All of these characterization techniques have provided great helps to our crystal activities.

Purification of commercial germanium with an impurity level of ∼10^13-14 cm^-3 was successfully conducted in two-step zone refining process under an undiluted high-purity hydrogen gas atmosphere. Results for the first step conducted in graphite boats yielded ingots with an impurity level of ∼10¹² cm^-3 near the center of the 60 cm long ingots. These center portions were collected and subsequently zone refined in a high purity quartz boat to reach a purity level of ∼10¹¹ cm^-3. The best material achieved in a one step process employing a carbon-coated quartz boat yielded material of purity 8×10¹¹ cm^-3.

The former Homestakegold mine in Lead, South Dakota has been transformed into a dedicated facility to pursue underground research in rare-process physics, as well as offering research opportunities in other disciplines such as biology, geology and engineering. A key component of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) is the Davis Campus, which is in operation at the 4850-foot level (4300 m.w.e.) and currently hosts two main physics projects: the LUX dark matter experiment and the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR neutrinolessdouble-beta decay experiment. In addition, two low-background counters currently operate at the Davis Campus in support of current and future experiments. Expansion of the underground laboratory space is underway at the 4850L Ross Campus in order to maintain and enhance low- background assay capabilities as well as to host a unique nuclear astrophysics accelerator facility. Plans to accommodate other future experiments at SURF are also underway and include the next generation of direct-search dark matter experiments and the Fermilab-led international long- baseline neutrino program. Planning to understand the infrastructure developments necessary to accommodate these future projects is well advanced and in some cases have already started. SURF is a dedicated research facility with significant expansion capability.

The GRETINA spectrometer is a first generation, gamma-ray tracking spectrometer capable of determining the Compton scattering path of gamma-rays incident on the detector volume. This ability allows the Ge detectors to be close packed allowing the detector to be scaled to high efficiencies while maintaining good peak-to-total. GRETINA currently consists of 7 4-detector modules giving approximately 1π solid angle coverage with a calorimetric efficiency of 6.3% and tracked efficiency of 4.7% at 1.3 MeV. The array's sensitivity to the position of the gamma ray's first interaction point enables precision event-by-event Doppler correction which allows one to achieve 1% energy resolution even for sources moving at a large fraction of the speed of light such as those encountered at fragmentation facilities such as NSCL and the future FRIB.

The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) is a European project to develop and operate the next generation gamma-ray spectrometer. AGATA is based on the technique of gamma-ray energy tracking in electrically segmented high-purity germanium crystals. The spectrometer will have an unparalleled level of detection power for electromagnetic nuclear radiation. The tracking technique requires the accurate determination of the energy, time and position of every interaction as a gamma ray deposits its energy within the detector volume. Reconstruction of the full interaction path results in a detector with very high efficiency and excellent spectral response. The realisation of gamma-ray tracking and AGATA is a result of many technical advances and the spectrometer is now operational. AGATA has been operated in a series of scientific campaigns at Legnaro National Laboratory in Italy and GSI in Germany and is presently being assembled at GANIL in France. The status of the instrument will be reviewed.

Neutron and gamma-ray detection is used for non-proliferation and national security applications. While lower energy resolution detectors such as NaI(Tl) have their place, high purity germanium (HPGe) also has a role to play. A detection with HPGe is often a characterization due to the very high energy resolution. However, HPGe crystals remain small and expensive leaving arrays of smaller crystals as an excellent solution. PNNL has developed two similar HPGe arrays for two very different applications. One array, the Multisensor Aerial Radiation Survey (MARS) detector is a fieldable array that has been tested on trucks, boats, and helicopters. The CASCADES HPGe array is an array designed to assay samples in a low background environment. The history of HPGe arrays at PNNL and the development of MARS and CASCADES will be detailed in this paper along with some of the other applications of HPGe at PNNL.

Radiogenic particles are known as the main sources of background for all ultra-low background experiments in the detection of dark matter and neutrino properties. In particular, the radiogenic gamma rays from PMTs are a main component of the observed backgrounds in the noble liquid detectors such as XENON100 and LUX. This suggests a more accurate screening of PMTs is needed for the next generation experiments such as LUX-Zplin or Xenon1T. Hence, we propose to develop well-shaped germanium detectors for a better understanding of the radiogenic background from PMTs. A well-shaped germanium detector array and PMT (R11410MOD) have been designed in a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation, in which three radiogenic background isotopes from ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K have been studied. In this work, we show the detector performance including the detector efficiency, energy resolution and the detector sensitivity for low-background counting in the detection of rare event physics.