Semiconductor Detectors - an Introduction
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Title SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS - AN INTRODUCTION Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8vn2v63q Author Goulding, F.S. Publication Date 1978-04-01 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California NOTICE 1 Tkk itfon Ml ptepued w an account of work •pouored by (he United Sum Government. Nrtthei the United Sutei not ft* United SUM Deptflment of SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS - AN INTRODUCTION* Eneigy, nor My of theft emptoytti, nor my of iheti LBL-7282 eantnclon, nibcoatricfon, o.- their employee], tukei •ny wtmnty, tiprtn or (replied, or utiana any lefaJ F. S. Goulding Ikbfliiy oi raponrtffity foi <heKcuncy,cttii|4ctene(( Of lacfulncM o( any information, apparatus, product or Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory piODcm dfcetaed, o( reprMenb thil !u tnr would not University of California infrinfc primely owned dtfiw. Berkeley, California 94720 I. History (i) To first order charge collection in a detector only occurs from regions where an electric Semiconductor detectors appeared on the scene' of field exists. Diffusion does occur from Nuclear Physics in about I960, although McKay of Bell field-free regions, but it is slow and its Laboratories had demonstrated the detection of alpha effects are usually undesirable. In junction particles by semiconductor diodes several years or surface-barrier (sometimes called Schottky- earlier. The earliest work, just prior to 1960, barrler) detectors, this means that the "de focused on relatively thin surface barrier germanium pletion layer" is the sensitive region of a detectors, used to detect short-range particles. detector. These detectors, used at low temperature to reduce leakage current, demonstrated the potential of semi (11) The thickness of a depletion layer 1 a semi conductor detectors to realize energy resolutions conductor diode is proportional to substantially better than the ionization (gas) chambers used earlier. Furthermore, the ability of a solid V if or Yv^P where V is the applied voltage, to stop particles in a very short distance and the N is the concentration of the dominant mpu- rugged nature of solid state devices suggested that rity in the semiconductor and p is its a small rugged detector might be feasible. resistivity. Thus, 1n the case of a detector made from p-type silicon having a resistivity Attention rapidly moved to silicon detectors of 2000 ftcm, (which is very pure by normal following this earlier work, largely because silicon, commercial silicon standards), an applied haying a considerably larger band-gap than germanium, voltage of 200 V yields a depletion layer offered the prospect of good performance at room thickness of only 200 urn (0.2 mm). This i: temperature. Silicon surface barrier detectors and, barely adequate to stop 15 MeV alpha oartfe-es somewhat later, diffused junction detectors, both or 4 MeV protons, so the use of such detec used at room temperature, therefore became the first tors is very limited even for particle types of semiconductor detectors used in nuclear experiments. spectroscopy and they rapidly proved their value as detectors of short-range particles. At this point, Fortunately, this limitation was rapidly circum- a little must be said about the limitations of these ventpd due to the work of Pell at General Electric, detectors - later in the course, the details will be who (for entirely unrelated purposes) demonstrated filled in. that lithium, an interstitial donor, could be drifted In an electric field at moderate temperatures to Nuclear Spectroscopy is largely a study of the virtually completely compensate the acceptors in energy level:; in the nucleus and the most profitable p-type silicon (and germanium). This work was tool for the study of these levels is to observe the rapidly exploited in semiconductor detectors to radiation emitted when transistions occur between produce lithium-drifted detectors with sensitive allowed levels. This radiation, In general, is in regions up to several millimeters thick. By 1961, the form of gamma rays, so detectors of gamra rays such detectors had become the primary spectroscopy are clearly the most powerful tool in such tool in charged particle experiments. investigations. Nal scintillation detectors had become important because of this, hut their rather The next major step was obvious, but was delayed poor energy resolution, which results in an inability by the feeling on the part of many of us working in to separate closely spaced levels, was a major the field that large-scale use of liquid nitrogen limitation. Silicon is a very poor material for was not acceptable. It was clear that lithium- gamma ray detection, since the gamma ray efficiency drifted germanium would provide the potential for varies roughly as Z5 (where Z is the atomic number high-resolution gamma-ray detection (albeit with much of the absorber) and Z is only 14 for silicon. smaller efficiencies than Nal scintillation detectors). Germanium would be a better material (Z = 28), but It was equally clear that the small band-gap of it was some time before this potential was realized. germanium would require low temperature operation. Therefore, it took some time for lithium-drifted The second major limitation in these earlier germanium gamtia-ray detectors to appear (1964) but detectors and still a limitation, although less when they did, they were exploited very rapidly and restrictive now, was the small thickness of the they must be regarded as the dominant tool in the sensitive region of the detectors which limited intensive period of nuclear spectroscopy In the mid their use to short-range particle detection. Of to late 1960's. course, the small thickness also limits the gamma ray detection efficiency, but in these early days In 1965, the first non-nuclear application of only charged particle detection was seriously semiconductor detectors started to develop. The considered. In the next part of this introduction, availability of low-noise field effect transistors I will discuss detector physics in a little more and their use with silicon detectors at low tempera detail; for the moment, two points should be noted: tures realized adequate energy resolution to resolve the characteristic K x-rays of most elements. This made development of the field of energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence possible and has led to a large *This work was supported by the General Science and commerical business which impacts on many areas of Basic Research Division of the Department of Energy research far outside the nuclear area. under Contract No. K-7405-ENG-48. 0.. LBL-7282 The final detector development I want to discuss resolution than gas detectors, at least at higher is the development of very pure germanium which makes energies. At low energies, the fact that the signal possible thick germanium detectors without the need is 10 times larger means that electronic noise in the for lithium drifting. This work was initiated by electronic preamplifier is effectively smaller in R. N. Hall of General Electric In the early 1970's, relation to the signal. and it Is having a major impact at the present tine. Its value rests mainly on the fact that lithium Is Next, it is necessary to understand the importance veiy mobile in germanium at room temperature. of semiconductor junctions. If we consider a slice Consequently, the processing and handling of lithium- of silicon 1 cm2 In area and 1 mm thick and 2000 ilcm drifted germanium detectors is rendered quite diffi resistivity with ohmic contacts on each side, it is cult and multi-detector systems are hardly feasible. easy to see that we have a 200 n resistor. If 100 V High-purity germanium avoids these problems, so is applied across such a resistor, a current of 0.5 A detector arrays and telescopes of many detectors are will flow. Radiation Incident on the slice would feasible. Furthermore, with some reservations caused produce free holes and electrons, but any change 1n by potential surface contamination, high-purity current resulting from this would De infinitesimally germanium detectors can be cooled when required but small compared with the large steady current flowing warmed up to room temperature for storage. While through the device. This is 1n great contrast to the this fact should be used with caution due to the gas ionization chamber whose leakage current Is minute. potential problem of surface contamination. It does Semiconductor junctions provide the mechanism for over make possible the in-situ annealing of radiation coming this problem. damage which is a key factor in some very long-range particle telescope applications. Semiconductor Junctions are discussed In all courses on semiconductor physics and electronics, but In this rapid review, I have not discussed the emphasis Is slightly different 1n semiconductor materials other than silicon and germanium. Part detectors and matters are. In some respects, simpler. of the course will deal with this topic, but its The operation of junctions depends on the fact that impact on the field is only small at the present a mass action law compels the product of electron and time and the prospects for any major impact are not hole concentrations to be constant for j given semi good. conductor at a fixed temperature. Therefore, heavy doping with a donor not only increases the free elec Before closing this historical review, I should tron concentration, but also depresses the hole con perhaps draw your attention to the fact that the centration to satisfy the requirement that the pro nuclear research aspects of the use of detectors have duct must have a value dependent only on the become less predominant in recent years. Partly, semiconductor. For example, for silicon at room 10 this is because x-ray fluorescence analysis, environ temperature n-p =10 ; therefore, a region doped with mental survey work and space applications have all donors to a concentration of 10" will only contain ! become important, but it is because there has been a concentration of ~10 holes.