AUTHOR=Olano-Vegas L. , Pardo I. , Leardini S. , Morales M. , Carreira A. R. , Corral R. M. , González-Díaz D. , Tesi A. , Moleri L. , Azevedo C. D. R. , Carramate L. , Guitián F. 

TITLE=Development of Fe2O3/YSZ ceramic plates for cryogenic operation of resistive-protected gaseous detectors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Detector Science and Technology

VOLUME=1

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/detector-science-and-technology/articles/10.3389/fdest.2023.1234229

DOI=10.3389/fdest.2023.1234229

ISSN=2813-8031

ABSTRACT=<p>We present a ceramic material based on hematite (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) and zirconia stabilized with yttria at 8% molar (YSZ), that exhibits stable electrical properties with transported charge and that can be tuned to the resistivities necessary to induce spark-quenching in gaseous detectors (<italic>ρ</italic> = 10<sup>9</sup>-10<sup>12</sup> Ω⋅cm), from room temperature down to the liquid-vapor coexistence point of nitrogen (77 K). It, thus, allows covering the operating temperatures of most immediate interest to gaseous instrumentation. The ceramics have been produced in a region of mass concentrations far from what has been usually explored in literature: optimal characteristics are achieved for Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> concentrations of 75%wt (LAr boiling temperature), 35%wt (LXe boiling temperature), and 100%wt (room temperature). The nine-orders-of-magnitude enhancement observed for the electrical conductivity of the mixed phases relative to that of pure Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> is startling, however it can be qualitatively understood based on existing literature. Plates of 4 cm × 4 cm have been manufactured and, prior to this work, operated in-detector at the LXe boiling point (165 K), demonstrating spark-free operation. Illustrative results obtained for the first time on a spark-protected amplification structure (RP-WELL) at around the LAr boiling point (90 K) are now presented, too.</p>