Degradation of InGaAs pin photodiodes by neutron irradiation

Abstract

Irradiation damage in In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As p-i-n photodiodes by 1 MeV fast neutrons is studied as a function of fluence for the first time. The degradation of the electrical and optical performance of diodes increases with increasing fluence. The influence of the radiation source on device degradation is then discussed by comparison with 1 MeV electrons with respect to the numbers of knock-on atoms and the non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL). The dependence of performance degradation on the radiation source is attributed to the difference of mass and the probability of nuclear collision for the formation of lattice defects.

Damage Factor for Radiation-Induced Dark Current in InGaAs Photodiodes

“…Content may change prior to final publication. 1.5x10 10 1.20x10 -5 3.3x10 10 2.87x10 -5 8x10 10 8.04x10 -5 [ 13 4.53x10 -4 • The irradiations were carried out at 1.5x10 13 6.79x10 -4 (tested by CERN) 2.5x10 13 9.05x10 -4 room temperature.…”

“…• The dark current was periodically monitored during the irradiation at various reverse bias voltages up to 10 V. 4x10 13 1.58x10 -3 6.5x10 13 2.26x10 -3 1x10 14 6.79x10 -3 1.5x10 14 1.36x10 -2 2.5x10 14 1.81x10 -2 4x10 14 6.79x10 -2 6x10 14 1.58x10 -1 1x10 15 6.79x10 -1 [ 13 3.40x10 -3 5x10 13 2.72x10 -2 1x10 14 1.58x10 -1 2x10 14 6.79x10 -1 4x10 14 for γ-rays irradiated photodiodes). 1x10 17 (10 5 krad) 5.59x10 -4 characteristics given in [24] the dark current values have been extrapolated up to -5V.…”

Radiation-damaged simulation PIN photodiodes

“…In general, the damage coefficients in semiconductors depend on the following parameters: type and energy of the incident particle, kind of material, resistivity, types and concentration of impurities, injection level, temperature and elapsed time after irradiation. In the literature, it is very frequently that the authors [5,[17][18][19] use energies of the damage coefficients for neutrons of 1 MeV.…”

A detector characterization setup for testing performance under space environmental conditions

“…1 The main effects of displacement damage include an increase of the dark current, an increased number of hot spots, increased noise due to random telegraphic signals, reduced responsivity or photo current, and reduced quantum efficiency. 5,6 Furthermore, permanent performance loss due to destructive single event effects, in particular local damage which does not involve a complete functional loss of the sensor, must be considered. A typical example consists of damage to individual pixels of an image sensor, reducing sensor operability.…”