Plasma effect in silicon charge coupled devices (CCDs)

Plasma effect is observed in CCDs exposed to heavy ionizing α-particlesα-particles with energies in the range 0.5–5.5 MeV. The results obtained for the size of the charge clusters reconstructed on the CCD pixels agree with previous measurements in the high energy region (≥3.5MeV). The measurements were extended to lower energies using α-particlesα-particles produced by (n,αn,α) reactions of neutrons in a 10B target. The effective linear charge density for the plasma column is measured as a function of energy. The results demonstrate the potential for high position resolution in the reconstruction of αα particles, which opens an interesting possibility for using these detectors in neutron imaging applications.

► Plasma effect is observed in silicon CCD detectors.
► The results agree with previous measurements for high energy particles.
► The range measured was extended to lower limits never reached before.
► The effective linear charge density for the plasma was measured as function of energy.