Soft x-ray silicon photodiodes with 100% quantum efficiency

Conference · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

OSTI ID:6884365

Wenzel, K W; Li, C K; Pappas, D A ^[1]; Korde, R ^[2]

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1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States)
2. International Radiation Detectors, Torrance, CA (United States)

Silicon p-n junction photodiodes (AXUV diodes) with nearly 100% quantum efficiency (QE) for soft x-ray photons (up to about 6 keV) were recently developed. This implies no recombination of photo-generated charge carriers in the front doped region and at the Si-SiO[sub 2] interface. This work reports fabrication and testing of the AXUV diodes with 100% quantum efficiency for photons with energy up to 10 keV. Response of the new diodes was measured using electron-beam x-ray generators with copper and molybdenum anodes that, when filtered properly, provide K x-rays at 8 and 17.5 keV respectively. AXUV photodiodes fabricated on high-resistivity silicon were found to exhibit gain in their response to these x rays. The x-ray signal was observed to increase, by up to a factor of 25, when the bias voltage was raised above the level required for full depletion of the silicon. A similar gain was found in the response to [alpha] particles when the diodes fabricated on high-resistivity silicon were operated in pulse mode. A diode fabricated from low resistivity silicon, with low leakage current, did not exhibit any gain in its x-ray response.

• DOE Contract Number: FG02-91ER54109
• OSTI ID: 6884365
• Report Number(s): CONF-931051--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States) Journal Volume: 41:4Pt1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440101* -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ALPHA PARTICLES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
DETECTION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FABRICATION
FUNCTIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHOTODIODES
QUANTUM EFFICIENCY
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATIONS
RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
SI SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SOFT X RADIATION
TESTING
X RADIATION
X-RAY DETECTION