Semiconductor Detectors - an Introduction
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.
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