The effect of neutron irradiation on silicon photodiodes

Conference · Thu Nov 30 23:00:00 EST 1989 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA)

OSTI ID:7029192

Korde, R; Ojha, A ^[1]; Braasch, R ^[2]; English, T C ^[3]

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1. United Detector Technology, Hawthorne, CA (US)
2. S-Cubed Div. of Maxwell Labs., San Diego, CA (US)
3. Ball Corp., Efratom Div., Irvine, CA (US)

Neutron radiation testing was performed on a total of 125 silicon photodiodes to investigate the changes in the device parameters after neutron exposure. Californium-252 source was used to irradiate these photodiodes with 1 MeV equivalent neutrons having fluences in the range of 5 {times} 10{sup 11} to 10{sup 14} N/cm{sup 2}. The photodiode forward voltage drop, ideality factor and series resistance were found to increase after neutron exposure. The increased series resistance was found to cause a degradation in diode photocurrent linearity. An empirical expression for post neutron changes in photodiode linearity is presented. Neutron induced changes in the photodiode shunt resistance and dark current have been modeled using simple expressions. These expressions allow device designers to estimate changes in photocurrent linearity, shunt resistance and dark current after neutron exposure. No post neutron change in the UV quantum efficiency of diodes without recombination in the front region was observed. This suggests that neutron irradiation does not affect the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface recombination velocity of p-n junction diodes.

• OSTI ID: 7029192
• Report Number(s): CONF-890723--
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA), Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA) Vol. 36:6; ISSN 0018-9499; ISSN IETNA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360605 -- Materials-- Radiation Effects
440200* -- Radiation Effects on Instrument Components
Instruments
or Electronic Systems
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
654003 -- Radiation & Shielding Physics-- Neutron Interactions with Matter
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
BARYONS
CHALCOGENIDES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FERMIONS
HADRONS
HARDENING
INTERACTIONS
INTERFACES
JUNCTION DIODES
JUNCTIONS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEONS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
P-N JUNCTIONS
PHOTODIODES
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION HARDENING
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
VOLTAGE DROP