Application of single-sided silicon strip detector to energy and charge state measurements of medium energy ions in space

The combination of an electrostatic analyzer and a silicon strip solid detector is proposed for measuring the energy and charge state of medium energy (10–200 keV/q) ions in space. Based on laboratory experiments, it is shown that a single-sided silicon strip detector (SSSD) has low-noise levels that provide sufficient energy resolution for charge state measurements of medium energy ions. It is also demonstrated that energy loss at a dead-layer is a critical factor for the energy resolution and measurement energy threshold; the dead-layer is measured to be ∼370 nm. A single-sided silicon strip detector with a thin dead-layer is important for the development of medium energy ion measurements into next generation satellite-borne missions.