Computer controlled drifting of Si(Li) detectors

A relatively inexpensive computer-controlled system for performing the drift process used in fabricating Si(Li) detectors is described. The system employs a small computer to monitor the leakage current, applied voltage and temperature on eight individual drift stations. The associated computer program initializes the drift process, monitors the drift progress and then terminates the drift when an operator set drift time has elapsed. The improved control of the drift with this system has been well demonstrated over the past three years in the fabrication of a variety of Si(Li) detectors. A few representative system responses to detector behavior during the drift process are described