Production, quality assurance and quality control of the SiPM Tiles for the DarkSide-20k Time Projection Chamber
Abstract The DarkSide-20k dark matter direct detection experiment will employ a $${21}\,\hbox {m}^{2}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>21</mml:mn> <mml:mspace/> <mml:msup> <mml:mtext>m</mml:mtext> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array, instrumenting a dual-phase 50 tonnes liquid argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC). SiPMs are arranged into modular photosensors called Tiles , each integrating 24 SiPMs onto a printed circuit board (PCB) that provides signal amplification, power distribution, and a single-ended output for simplified readout. $$16$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>16</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> Tiles are further grouped into Photo-Detector Units (PDUs). This paper details the production of the Tiles and the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA-QC) protocol established to ensure their performance and uniformity. The production and QA-QC of the Tiles are carried out at Nuova Officina Assergi (NOA), an ISO-6 clean room facility at LNGS. This process includes wafer-level cryogenic characterisation, precision die attaching, wire bonding, and extensive electrical and optical validation of each Tile. The overall production yield exceeds 83.5%, matching the requirements of the DarkSide-20k production plan. These results validate the robustness of the Tile design and its suitability for operation in a cryogenic environment.
Authors
- G. Galiński (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0223-3265)
- J. H. Vossebeld (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8178-8503)
- Alfiero Leoni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0066-4216)
- A. Sung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4000-3172)
- M. Harańczyk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3841-4108)
- G. Plante (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4381-674X)
- S. Pordes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2934-9148)
- P. Franchini
- Tao Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2286-9009)
- T. Viant
- H. Frandini Gatti
- C. Hidalgo
- Masao Kimura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8645-2224)
- Azam Zabihi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1322-9587)
- O. Smirnov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5238-0442)
- M. Cadeddu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3974-1995)
- A. Chepurnov
- A. Grobov
- C. Sunny (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4214-872X)
- E. Aprile (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6595-7098)
- G. Fiorillo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6916-6776)
- M. Caravati
- J. Monroe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8649-5486)
- Martin W. Bloem (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6686-5929)
- Z. Balmforth
- O. Azzolini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3951-0537)
- M. Laí (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2388-9581)
- Davide Colaiuda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8488-9606)
- M. Gulino
- I Sargeant
- K. Nikolopoulos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3048-489X)
- P. Cavalcante
- L. Lidey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3484-293X)
- P. Di Stefano
- D. Rudik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5585-7253)
- Ahmed Morsy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0375-6295)
- L. Mapelli
- F. Ragusa
- S. Piacentini
- A. Oleinik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1455-4341)
- M. G. Boulay
- V. Goicoechea Casanueva
- Y. P. Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1413-968X)
- S. Viel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9554-4059)
- M. Morrocchi
- E. Ellingwood
- A Caminata
- M. Lissia
- A. K. Alton
- P. Musico
- I. F. M. Albuquerque (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7328-0136)
- O. A. Taborda
- V. Pesudo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8753-6013)
- C. Jillings
- Aldo Ianni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6962-3682)
- V. Cocco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6061-5805)
- A. Buchowicz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9934-6826)
- Dennis L. Huff
- V. N. Muratova
- O. Lychagina
- Tomasz Mróz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5304-5531)
- A. M. Szelc (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4174-4407)
- L. Williams
- S. Chashin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9159-6801)
- J. Runge
- J. Maricic
- John Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9269-3144)
- M. Pallavicini
- G. Paternoster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5744-0195)
- S. Bussino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3829-9592)
- A. Derbin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4351-2255)
- M. D’Aniello
- V. Bocci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7448-2837)
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- D. Santone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8653-3427)
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- Naomi Fearon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6797-9768)
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- Edivaldo Moura Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2818-8813)
- B. Cleveland
- A. Sheshukov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5128-9279)
- M. Atzori Corona (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5092-3602)
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- E. Leason (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5759-2874)
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- Derek Fleming (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0054-904X)
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- A. K. Thompson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7212-5724)
- A. Gendotti
- N. Cargioli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6515-5850)
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- Miguel Cárdenas‐Montes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4445-8868)
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- S. Horikawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1815-4828)
- S. Stracka
- E.V. Hungerford (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1078-4526)
- M. Ave
- I. C. Avetisov
- L. P. Rignanese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3167-0309)
- P. Organtini
- T. Hugues (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4895-8897)
- M. Kuźwa
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- E. Nikoloudaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1948-9681)
- L. Romero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9055-0385)
- A. Tricomi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5071-5501)
- Aritra Mitra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0472-284X)
- M. Rossi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7636-6802)
- M. Martínez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9043-4691)
- F. Retière (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6193-6916)
- I. N. Machulin
- S. Blua
- M. Carlini
- A. L. Renshaw
- E. Paoloni
- E. Unzhakov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2952-6412)
- K. Pelczar
- A. Rubbia
- A. Marasciulli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8789-8575)
- S. Manecki
- M. Gromov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2869-2363)
- A. Devoto
- M. Razeti
- A. Vishneva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2624-9416)
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- J. Busto
- M. Nessi
- S. M. Mari
- A. Rivetti
- M. Murra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2608-4472)
- S. Albergo
- M. Spangenberg
- E. Le Guirriec
- B. C. Smith
- C. Yang
- N. Kemmerich
- I. Manthos
- L. Cifarelli
- R. Tartaglia
- S. Davini
- A. Zani
- R. B. Vogelaar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6414-6944)
- P. Skensved
- M. A. Sabia
- J. Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1092-5501)
- C. Savarese
- D. A. Semenov
- M. Wójcik
- B. R. Hackett
- Y. A. Ramachers
- Y. Suvorov
- K. Kondo
- V. Dronik
- A. Gawdzik
- A. Elersich
- M. La Commara
- A. B. McDonald
- H. O. Back (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3917-3104)
- A. Órtiz de Solórzano
- R. Milincic
- M. Rescigno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6510-9953)
- B. Harrop
- M. Van Uffelen
- F. G. Schuckman
- P. Adhikari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3123-4897)
- S. S. Poudel
- Fabrice Hubaut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0113-2465)
- P. Barrillon
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- J Hollingham
- S. Resconi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2313-4020)
- F Dylon
- I Machts
- Riccardo Pavarani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9534-542X)
- M. Pronesti
- S Tullio
Institutions
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Warsaw University of Technology (PL)
- Roma Tre University (IT)
- Belgorod National Research University (RU)
- Jagiellonian University (PL)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- TRIUMF (CA)
- University of Hawaii System (US)
- D. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (RU)
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US)
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- Fort Lewis College (US)
- Augustana University (US)
- University of Alberta (CA)
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (IT)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (GB)
- University of Cagliari (IT)
- Politecnico di Torino (IT)
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Royal Holloway University of London (GB)
- Lodz University of Technology (PL)
- University of Milan (IT)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Lomonosov Moscow State University (RU)
- Princeton University (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Queen's University (CA)
- Williams College (US)
- Fondazione Bruno Kessler (IT)
- Università degli Studi di Enna Kore (IT)
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- University of Hawaii–West Oahu (US)
- Universidad de Zaragoza (ES)
- University of L'Aquila (IT)
- Kurchatov Institute (RU)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (IT)
- Temple College (US)
- Laboratoire AstroParticule et Cosmologie (FR)
- University of California System (US)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (RU)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- University of Catania (IT)
- University of Warwick (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- University of Chicago (US)
- The Edgbaston Hospital (GB)
- Centre de physique des particules de Marseille (FR)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli (IT)
- Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Catania (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Genova (IT)
- Fondazione Stella Maris (IT)
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (RU)
- Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules (FR)
- Università degli Studi Internazionali di Roma (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano (IT)
- Institute of High Energy Physics (CN)
- Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center (PL)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna (IT)
- Moscow State University (TJ)
- Gran Sasso Science Institute (IT)
- Snolab (CA)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa (IT)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (ES)
- University of Houston (US)
- Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (RU)
- Laurentian University (CA)
- Carleton University (CA)
- Lancaster University (GB)
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
- Columbia University (US)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- University of Genoa (IT)
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Temple University (US)
- Virginia Tech (US)
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (RU)
- University of Bologna (IT)
- Politecnico di Milano (IT)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
- Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The European Physical Journal C
- Published
- 2025-11-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14940-1
- Primary Topic
- Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Battelle
- Aix-Marseille Université
- Royal Society
- European Commission
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fundacja na rzecz Nauki Polskiej
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Ministerstwo Edukacji i Nauki
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
- Office of Science
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
- European Regional Development Fund
- Labex UnivEarthS
- Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
- Fermilab
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory