Energy resolution of silicon detectors: approaching the physical limit

Steinbauer, E.; Bauer, Ph.; Geretschläger, M.; Bortels, G.; Biersack, J.P.; Burger, P.

doi:10.1016/0168-583x(94)95898-x

Cited by 79 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Even lower noise is possible if the dark current can be limited further, and 20 e -rms was obtained by the same authors at -35˚C, with dark current 0.1 pA cm -2 but then various sources of dielectric noise are the limit rather than the detector current [38]. In 1994 the noise performance of a planar Si detector for protons, deuterons and alpha has been studied by Steinbauer et al [39] and they report measured values between 3.6 keV FWHM ( 1 H) and 10 keV ( 4 He), which appear to be close to the ultimate physical limits.…”

Section: Detector Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

1980, a revolution in silicon detectors, from energy spectrometer to radiation imager: Some technical and historical details

Heijne

2008

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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Section: Detector Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

1980, a revolution in silicon detectors, from energy spectrometer to radiation imager: Some technical and historical details

Heijne

2008

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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“…In spite of the technical improvements, the best attainable resolution with a silicon detector is about 8 keV, close to the physical limit due to the finite number of electron-hole pairs that is produced in the Si lattice [5]. The interference of neighboring alpha peaks therefore necessitates spectral deconvolution, which complicates the uncertainty analysis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Typical uncertainties in alpha-particle spectrometry

Pommé

2015

Metrologia

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Alpha-particle spectrometry is routinely performed with the aim of measuring absolute activities, activity ratios between different alpha-emitting nuclides or decay data such as branching factors, alpha emission probabilities and relative half-lives. It is most commonly performed with ion-implanted silicon detectors. Strong features of the technique are the low background levels that can be achieved due to low sensitivity to other types of radiation, the intrinsic efficiency close to 1 which reduces the efficiency calculations to a geometrical problem and the uniqueness of the energy spectra for each α-decaying nuclide. The main challenge is the limitation to the attainable energy resolution, even with thin and homogenous sources, which causes alpha energy peaks to be partially unresolved due to their width and low-energy tailing. The spectral deconvolution often requires fitting of analytical functions to each peak in the alpha spectrum. True coincidence effects between alpha particles and subsequently emitted conversion electrons cause distortions of the alpha spectra which lead to significant changes in the apparent peak area ratios. Optimum energy resolution can only be achieved on very thin sources, which puts constraints on the source preparation techniques. Radiochemical separations may be needed to extract the alpha emitters from voluminous matrices and efficiency tracing is performed by adding in another isotope by known amounts. Typical uncertainty components are discussed by means of some hypothetical examples.

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“…The energy measurement response function of silicon PIPS detectors includes the detector nonlinearity (pulse height defect as a function of incident particle species and velocity) and the shape and width of the response function (noise), including broadening effects from channeling (Collier et al 1988;Oetliker 1993;Steinbauer et al 1994). The silicon crystal 7°off-axis orientation was specified to minimize channeling by normal incidence particles.…”

Section: Energy Measurement Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Plasma and Suprathermal Ion Composition (PLASTIC) Investigation on the STEREO Observatories

et al. 2008

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The Plasma and Suprathermal Ion Composition (PLASTIC) investigation provides the in situ solar wind and low energy heliospheric ion measurements for the NASA Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Mission, which consists of two spacecraft (STEREO-A, STEREO-B). PLASTIC-A and PLASTIC-B are identical. Each PLASTIC is a timeof-flight/energy mass spectrometer designed to determine the elemental composition, ionic charge states, and bulk flow parameters of major solar wind ions in the mass range from hydrogen to iron. PLASTIC has nearly complete angular coverage in the ecliptic plane and an energy range from ∼0.3 to 80 keV/e, from which the distribution functions of suprathermal ions, including those ions created in pick-up and local shock acceleration processes, are also provided.

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Energy resolution of silicon detectors: approaching the physical limit

Cited by 79 publications

References 24 publications

1980, a revolution in silicon detectors, from energy spectrometer to radiation imager: Some technical and historical details

1980, a revolution in silicon detectors, from energy spectrometer to radiation imager: Some technical and historical details

Typical uncertainties in alpha-particle spectrometry

The Plasma and Suprathermal Ion Composition (PLASTIC) Investigation on the STEREO Observatories

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