A feasibility study of a single event spectrometer based on semiconductor devices

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Particle Accelerator Technology
• Radiation Effects

Background:

• Electronics near particle accelerators are vulnerable to single event effects (SEE).
• Single event upsets (SEUs) are the most common SEE, impacting memory devices.
• High-energy accelerators generate SEUs via secondary charged particles from neutron interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate methods for measuring the energy and lineal energy distribution of neutron-induced charged particles.
• To assess the feasibility of using a p-i-n photodiode as a detector for these particles.
• To provide guidelines for designing application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for SEE detection.

Main Methods:

• Irradiation of a commercial p-i-n photodiode with thermal and monoenergetic fast neutrons.
• Measurement of energy and lineal energy distributions of resulting charged particles.
• Analysis of detector limitations and potential improvements.

Main Results:

• Observed effects that limit the p-i-n photodiode's use as a single event effect (SEE) spectrometer.
• Identified key parameters for designing a more effective application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
• Demonstrated the potential for a p-i-n photodiode with a hydrogenated plastic radiator to function as a proton-recoil spectrometer.

Conclusions:

• A commercial p-i-n photodiode shows limitations for direct SEE spectrometry but offers insights for ASIC development.
• The proposed approach can guide the creation of solid-state microdosimeters and proton-recoil spectrometers.
• Further research into ASIC design and detector configurations is recommended for improved SEE characterization.