  The characterization of detectors fabricated from home-grown crystals is the
most direct way to study crystal properties. We fabricated planar detectors
from high-purity germanium (HPGe) crystals grown at the University of South
Dakota (USD). In the fabrication process, a HPGe crystal slice cut from a
USD-grown crystal was coated with a high resistivity thin film of amorphous Ge
(a-Ge) followed by depositing a thin layer of aluminum on top of the a-Ge film
to define the physical area of the contacts. We investigated the detector
performance including the $I$-$V$ characteristics, $C$-$V$ characteristics and
spectroscopy measurements for a few detectors. The results document the good
quality of the USD-grown crystals and electrical contacts.
