Printed silver contacts to CVD diamond detectors

Novel, printed contacts for single crystal CVD grown diamond particle detectors are reported. Silver contacts with guard-rings were formed by three-dimensional metal printing. The resulting devices exhibit similar properties to the current state-of-the-art diamond detectors employing carbide layer contacts, yet detectors with the printed contacts retain high charge collection efficiency even after exposure to 450 °C (unlike aluminum contact devices for instance). The printed silver contacts do not require high temperature annealing steps as carbide based contacts. The contact printing process is performed within a few minutes in ambient conditions. The novel printed contact method enables contact deposition without expensive vacuum equipment; furthermore, contact patterning can be designed and performed instantaneously, without design and fabrication of expensive photolithography masks and without the need for clean room facilities.