Long-term stability-degradation analysis of DUNE SiPMs in Liquid Nitrogen

Abstract

We developed a cryogenic photon readout system to monitor arrays of DUNE SiPMs operating at various over-voltages in liquid nitrogen (LN2) for over three months. Photoelectron signals were read out simultaneously via weak capacitive coupling to the micro-FEMB, a 32-channel charge sensitive readout board designed for 77 K to 300 K operation in liquid argon time projection chambers (LAr-TPCs). A waveform snippet acquisition scheme was implemented to capture waveform signals whenever they exceeded a predetermined trigger level; consequently, empty waveforms were discarded. Selected SiPM parameters were monitored to detect any deviations beyond statistical fluctuations. While some parameters exhibited ~1σ variations over the 3-month test period, there was no evidence of drift being enhanced when operating at 4 V or 5 V compared to a 3 V over-voltage. However, a discernible PDE drop was observed across all channels, which warrants further investigation. In addition, we demonstrated that our system can simultaneously read out single photons from a selected group of SiPMs at room temperature.