A Facility for Developing and Testing Ge Detectors and Related Components for the MAJORANA and LEGEND Experiments

The GERDA and MAJORANA Collaborations have demonstrated that high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors enriched in ⁷⁶Ge are an excellent choice in searching for neutrinoless double beta decay.  We have developed a general facility at the University of North Carolina to facilitate detector R&D activities related to both the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR and the LEGEND experiment. The facility consists of clean-rooms, a glove box, a LN based N₂ purge system, and special equipment for working on and testing cables, connectors and electronics. There is a cryostat, cooled by a pulse tube cooler, that can accommodate multiple strings of HPGe detectors similar to those used in the DEMONSTRATOR. Tools have been developed to allow for testing of HV cables. This facility has been used to fabricate and test improved custom cables and connectors for possible use in the DEMONSTRATOR, and will be used for upcoming LEGEND activities. A description of the facility and details of the R&D activities performed will be presented.