Yttrium contacts for germanium semiconductor radiation detectors

Patent · Tue May 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014

OSTI ID:1532095

Hull, Ethan; Pehl, Richard H.; Suttle, Bruce; Lathrop, James

A germanium semiconductor radiation detector contact made of yttrium metal. A thin (˜1000 Å) deposited layer of yttrium metal forms a thin hole-barrier and/or electron-barrier contact on both p- and n-type germanium semiconductor radiation detectors. Yttrium contacts provide a sufficiently high hole barrier to prevent measurable contact leakage current below ˜120 K. The yttrium contacts can be conveniently segmented into multiple electrically independent electrodes having inter-electrode resistances greater than 10 GΩ. Germanium semiconductor radiation detector diodes fabricated with yttrium contacts provide good gamma-ray spectroscopy data.

• Research Organization: PHDS Co., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: SC0002477
• Assignee: DOESC
• Patent Number(s): 8,729,656
• Application Number: 13/068,811
• OSTI ID: 1532095
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: 2011-05-20
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English