Epitaxial silicon detectors for particle tracking—Radiation tolerance at extreme hadron fluences

Diodes processed on n-type epitaxial silicon with a thickness of 25, 50 and 75 μm had been irradiated with reactor neutrons and high-energy protons (24 GeV/c) up to integrated fluences of Φeq=1016 cm−2. Systematic experiments on radiation-induced damage effects revealed the following results: in contrast to standard and oxygen-enriched float zone (FZ) silicon devices no space charge sign inversion was observed after irradiation. It is shown that the radiation-generated concentration of deep acceptors, dominating the behavior of n-type FZ diodes, is compensated by creation of shallow donors. Thus a positive space charge is maintained throughout the irradiation up to the highest fluence and even during prolonged elevated-temperature annealing cycles. Defect analysis studies using thermally stimulated current measurements attribute the effect to a damage-induced shallow donor at EC−0.23 eV. It is argued that, as in the case of thermal donors, oxygen dimers, out diffusing from the Cz substrate during the diode processing, are responsible precursers. Results from extensive annealing experiments at elevated temperatures are verified by comparison with prolonged room-temperature annealing. These results showed that in contrast to FZ detectors, which always have to be cooled, room-temperature storage during beam off periods of future elementary particle physics experiments would even be beneficial for n-type epi-silicon detectors. A dedicated experiment at CERN-PS had successfully proven this expectation. It was verified, that in such a scenario the depletion voltage for the epi-detector could always be kept at a moderate level throughout the full S-LHC operation (foreseen upgrade of the large hadron collider). Practically no difference with respect to FZ-silicon devices was found in the damage-induced bulk generation current. The charge trapping measured with 90Sr electrons (mip's) is also almost identical to what was expected. A charge collection efficiency of 60% (2500 e) in 50 μm n-type epi-diodes after 24 GeV/c proton irradiation with Φeq=6.2×1015 cm−2 was reported recently, independent of the operating temperature down to −20 °C.