Performance of 4h-Sic Radiation Detector after High Flux Proton and Fe13+ Heavy Ion Beam Irradiation

Abstract

A batch of Schottky diode 4H-SiC detectors was fabricated by using Ni/ Au electrodes, which were irradiated by Fe13+ heavy ion beam current with a flux of 1×1013 n/cm2 to 4.35×1014 n/cm2 in a stepwise increment, the forward and reverse I-V characteristics before and after irradiation as well as the energy resolution of α particles produced by 241Am source were tested and compared. The test results show that the reverse leakage current of the 4H-SiC detector that we made under the radiation of Fe13+ heavy ion beam increases gradually with the increase of the irradiation flux, Schottky Barrier Height decreases continuously and the ideal factor gradually increases. When the flux is 4×1013 n/cm2, it has risen to 9 μA, but the detector still has an energy resolution of 2.63%. When the flux of Fe13+ heavy ion beam is increased to 8×1013 n/cm2, the very obvious degradation phenomenon appeares, the Charge Collection Efficiency(CCE) is reduced from 100% to 66.08%, the energy resolution is changed from 1.6% to 4.33%. When flux is increased to 1.4×1014 n/cm2, and the detector’s performance has degraded seriously, in which the energy resolution is decreased from 1.76% to 9.54%, meanwhile the CCE is reduced from 100% to 64.84%, but it can still be used. As the beam flux reaches 2×1014 n/cm2, the detector has been completely damaged. At the same time, the ability of the detector to resist mixed ion beam irradiation was tested. The 4H-SiC detector still has an energy resolution of 2.51% after receiving a dose of irradiation, concluding with 1×1017 n/cm2 protons and 2×1013 n/cm2 Fe13+ heavy ion beams.

Keywords: 4H-SiC, Radiation detector, Fe13+ Heavy Ion Beam, Energy resolution