Transient effects of ionizing radiation in Si, InGaAsP, GaAlSb, and Ge photodiodes

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5441599

Wiczer, J. J.; Barnes, C. E.; Dawson, L. R.

Certain military applications require the continuous operation of optoelectronic information transfer systems during exposure to ionizing radiation. In such an environment the optical detector can be the system element which limits data transmission. We report here the measured electrical and optical characteristics of an irradiation tolerant photodiode fabricated from a double heterojunction structure in the gallium aluminum antimonide (GaAlSb) ternary semiconductor system. A series of tests at Sandia Laboratories' Relativistic Electron Beam Accelerator (REBA) subjected this device and commercially available photodiodes (made from silicon, germanium, and indium gallium arsenide phosphide) to dose rate levels of 10/sup 7/ to 10/sup 8/ rads/sec. The results of these tests show that the thin GaAlSb double heterojunction photodiode structure generates significantly less unwanted radiation induced current density than that of the next best commercial device.

• Research Organization: Sandia Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-04-0789
• OSTI ID: 5441599
• Report Number(s): SAND-80-0831C; CONF-800307-4; TRN: 80-010557
• Resource Relation: Conference: Fiber optic in the nuclear environment symposium, Adelphi, MD, USA, 25 Mar 1980; Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
PHOTODIODES
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
GALLIUM PHOSPHIDES
INDIUM ARSENIDES
SILICON
GERMANIUM
ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
ANTIMONY ALLOYS
GALLIUM ALLOYS
DATA PROCESSING
DENSITY
ALLOYS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
ELEMENTS
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
METALS
PHOSPHIDES
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PNICTIDES
PROCESSING
RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
SEMIMETALS
360106* - Metals & Alloys- Radiation Effects
360605 - Materials- Radiation Effects