Comparison between conventional Si and new generation of SiC detector for high proton energy spectrometry

Abstract

A SiC Schottky diode and a Si surface barrier detector have been compared during Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) using 2–3 MeV proton beams. Both detectors are suited to detect high energetic ions with high-energy resolution for spectroscopic analysis. The correlations between the detector parameters and the surface passivating layers, ion energy and current dependence, ion penetration depth, detection efficiency and energy resolution, are outlined. Comparative RBS analysis performed using SiC and Si detectors has been investigated to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the use of SiC with respect to the traditional Si junction detector. RBS spectrometry has been carried out using projectiles of proton incident on different targets to analyse their composition and thickness by the detection of the backscattered ions revealed by Si and SiC detectors.

SiC and Si detectors comparison for high carbon energy spectrometry

“…Measurements have demonstrated that the energy resolution of SiC worsens to about 1.8% using 2 MeV protons and to 1.2% using 2 MeV helium and improves to 0.5% using 2 MeV nitrogen. Further considerations on these investigations are reported in previous papers [1,2]. Thus, heavy ion detection improves the energy resolution of SiC making it like that of a silicon detector.…”

“…2) Si detector cannot operate at high temperature due to its high leakage current which becomes high for temperatures of the order of 100 • C generating a high noise and irreversibly worsening the energy resolution of the detector. Execution of RBS analyses in high-temperature conditions is not possible for the Si spectra deterioration, while they remain possible using SiC, which shows a leakage current about two order of magnitude lower than Si and a minor dependence on the temperature, according to the literature [2,7,23].…”

“…In previous experiments the SiC and Si comparison has been investigated using helium [1] and proton [2] beams applied to Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The Si development in the last twenty years has permitted to optimize of its employment for RBS spectrometry for MeVs alpha and proton ion beams.…”