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Title: Soft x-ray silicon photodiodes with 100% quantum efficiency

Conference · · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)
OSTI ID:6884365
; ;  [1];  [2]
  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-; CODEN: IETNAE; TRN: 94-022996
Journal Information:
IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Vol. 41:4Pt1; Conference: NSS-MIC '93: nuclear science symposium and medical imaging conference, San Francisco, CA (United States), 30 Oct - 6 Nov 1993; ISSN 0018-9499
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English