High Resolution 4H-SiC p-i-n Radiation Detectors With Low-Voltage Operation

The results of electrical characteristics and alpha-particle energy spectrometry of 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes are reported. From the capacitance-voltage measurement, the effective doping concentration of the 80 mu m lightly doped 4H-SiC epitaxial layer used in this work is calculated to be about 2 x 10(13) cm(-3), approaching the limit of the lowest doping level by the SiC epitaxial growth technique. The detector exhibits consistently low leakage current of picoampere level at a reverse bias of 100 V and superior thermal stability up to 150 degrees C. Resultantly, an energy resolution of 0.6% has been achieved within a 5486 keV alpha-particle spectrum, which is comparable to the high-resolution SiC Schottky barrier alpha-particle detector. Also, near 100% charge collection efficiency has been realized with reverse bias exceeding 25 V. This study thus provides a promising solution to high-performance 4H-SiC radiation detectors with low-voltage operation.

Automated summary

The results of electrical characteristics and alpha-particle energy spectrometry of 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes are presented. The effective doping concentration of the epitaxial layer used in this study is calculated, approaching the lowest doping level. The detector exhibits low leakage current, superior thermal stability, high energy resolution, and charge collection efficiency.