CZT strip detector exposed to outer space from the ISS-Alpha

The effect of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment on future high energy instrument sensors is essential to optimize their performance, by minimizing orbital background noise. In the framework of the CNES-ESA European Material Ageing program (EMA), the ageing effects on critical components of a Laue lens telescope in the LEO space environment will be investigated. Since more than a decade, the group has been developing CZT drift strip sensors to meet the stringent requirements of a Laue lens focal plane detector for high-energy photons. As part of the EMA proposal, they plan to expose two simplified samples of drift strip CZT detectors on the CNES Bartolomeo external platform for 6 to 12 months. The objective is to test the robustness and reliability of the surface passivation and metallization processes in the LEO space environment. In this work we present the realization of the simplified CZT detector samples, and the results of laboratory characterization measurements.