Time response of 50 μm thickness single crystal diamond detectors

•Nanosecond fast pulse of 50 μm single crystal diamond detector•Determination of the minimum detector bias for thin diamond samples using pulse shape analysis•Low cost test bench for diamond characterisation

Short current pulses of width around 1 ns are generated by 50 μm thickness single crystal diamond detectors, which makes them very attractive for fast timing nuclear experiments. The shape of the pulse is greatly affected by the applied electric field that influences both the pulse rise time and its width. An exponential behaviour is found for the rise time and pulse width vs electric field. Measurements performed with high bandwidth electronics yield rise time down to 300 ps. It is also shown that for pulse duration in the nanosecond range, alternative electronic systems to the bulky and costly digital oscilloscopes, are commercially available.