Partitioning to elastic and inelastic processes of the energy deposited by low energy ions in silicon detectors

The energy partitioning into elastic and ionization collisions for low energy ions (<200 keV) slowing down in silicon is important for the prediction of the detection efficiency of silicon detectors and the calculation of the damage induced by such ions in electronic devices. The partition factor calculated using Lindhard's theory as well as the results extracted from TRIM calculations do not agree with recent experimental data of Funsten et al. for low energy ions. A new partition factor is calculated using Monte Carlo simulations based on a model which splits the inelastic losses into local and nonlocal modes. The calculated factor is in good agreement with existing experimental data and with molecular dynamic calculations. The calculated partition factor is expressed in a form convenient for different applications.