Speaker
Description
Skipper Charge-Coupled Devices (skipper‑CCDs) enable measurements of individual ionization electrons with sub‑electron noise, opening new capabilities for rare‑event searches and low‑background instrumentation. Within the DAMIC‑M collaboration, we are developing and deploying large‑area skipper‑CCD arrays optimized for the detection of light dark matter and other weakly interacting particles. In this contribution, we report on two major ongoing R&D activities: characterization of the skipper‑CCD modules developed for the DAMIC‑M detector, efforts to extend skipper‑CCD applications to radiopurity screening at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory, with a proof‑of‑concept station aimed at measuring ultra‑low levels of ²¹⁰Pb and other contaminants through the direct detection of their decay products.