Advances in Additive Manufacturing of 3D-segmented Plastic Scintillator Detectors for Particle Tracking and Calorimetry

Abstract: Plastic scintillator detectors with three-dimensional granularity and sub-nanosecond time resolution offer simultaneous particle tracking, identification, and calorimetry. However, scaling to larger volumes and finer segmentation poses significant challenges in manufacturing and assembly due to high costs, extensive time, and precision requirements. To address this, the 3DET R&D collaboration has developed an innovative additive manufacturing approach, allowing for the monolithic fabrication of three-dimensional granular scintillators without the need for additional processing steps. A prototype, featuring a 5 $\times$ 5 $\times$ 5 matrix of optically isolated scintillating voxels integrated with wavelength shifting fibers, was manufactured and tested using cosmic rays and CERN test beams, demonstrating comparable light yield and reduced crosstalk compared to traditional methods. The developed additive manufacturing technique offers a viable, time-efficient, and cost-effective solution for producing next-generation scintillator detectors, maintaining high performance regardless of size and geometric complexity.