A Vacuum Encapsulated Lithium-Drift Detector Telescope

Fabrication techniques for producing lithium-drifted telescopes for space experiments have been developed. High resistance grooves have been obtained in lithium-drifted silicon detectors which can separate the detector into independent regions having small cross-talk as well as sharp spatial definition. This indicates the possibility of making integrated arrays of lithium-drifted detectors in a single substrate. The origin of leakage current and noise is not yet clear. The surface condition of the n-i junctions can be a contributing factor. In addition, there are indications that the surface barrier plays a prominent role in this problem. Results of environmental life tests show that the methods of detector fabrication and vacuum encapsulation are capable of providing detectors with the stability required for space experiments.