Evaluation of freestanding GaN as an alpha and neutron detector

Padhraic Mulligan; Jinghui Wang; Lei Cao

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.019

Evaluation of freestanding GaN as an alpha and neutron detector

Padhraic Mulligan, Jinghui Wang, Lei Cao

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

The wide bandgap (3.39) eV and large dislocation energy of the III-V semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) make this a desirable material for charged particle spectroscopy in high temperature, high radiation environments. While other research groups have established that charged particle detectors can be fabricated from high quality, thin films of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown GaN, this work demonstrates the feasibility of ionizing radiation detectors created from significantly thicker freestanding n-type GaN, grown via hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). Detectors were fabricated by depositing Ni/Au pads on n-type GaN, forming a Schottky barrier diode. Capacitance-voltage measurements on the detectors showed an intrinsic carrier concentration in the range of 10 ^-16 cm^-3-10^-15 cm^-3, and indicated an inhomogeneous distribution between diodes on the same wafer. The radiation sensitivity of the fabricated detectors was analyzed using alpha particles from an ²⁴¹Am source. Charge collection efficiency (CCE) calculations from these experiments indicate an efficiency of 100 percent. The detectors were also successfully used to detect neutron induced charged particles using a Li₂O foil in a neutron beam.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	13-16
Number of pages	4
Journal	Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Volume	719
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.019
State	Published - 2013
Externally published	Yes

Funding

We would like to thank the support of the staff at the Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. This research is being performed using funding received from US Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency [Grant number HDTRA1-11-1–0013 ] and the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Energy University Programs .

Funders	Funder number
U.S. Department of Defense
Defense Threat Reduction Agency	HDTRA1-11-1–0013
Office of Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Energy University Program

Keywords

Charged particle detection
Gallium nitride
Neutron detection

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10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.019

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title = "Evaluation of freestanding GaN as an alpha and neutron detector",

abstract = "The wide bandgap (3.39) eV and large dislocation energy of the III-V semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) make this a desirable material for charged particle spectroscopy in high temperature, high radiation environments. While other research groups have established that charged particle detectors can be fabricated from high quality, thin films of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown GaN, this work demonstrates the feasibility of ionizing radiation detectors created from significantly thicker freestanding n-type GaN, grown via hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). Detectors were fabricated by depositing Ni/Au pads on n-type GaN, forming a Schottky barrier diode. Capacitance-voltage measurements on the detectors showed an intrinsic carrier concentration in the range of 10 -16 cm-3-10-15 cm-3, and indicated an inhomogeneous distribution between diodes on the same wafer. The radiation sensitivity of the fabricated detectors was analyzed using alpha particles from an 241Am source. Charge collection efficiency (CCE) calculations from these experiments indicate an efficiency of 100 percent. The detectors were also successfully used to detect neutron induced charged particles using a Li2O foil in a neutron beam.",

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author = "Padhraic Mulligan and Jinghui Wang and Lei Cao",

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doi = "10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.019",

language = "English",

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T1 - Evaluation of freestanding GaN as an alpha and neutron detector

AU - Mulligan, Padhraic

AU - Wang, Jinghui

AU - Cao, Lei

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - The wide bandgap (3.39) eV and large dislocation energy of the III-V semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) make this a desirable material for charged particle spectroscopy in high temperature, high radiation environments. While other research groups have established that charged particle detectors can be fabricated from high quality, thin films of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown GaN, this work demonstrates the feasibility of ionizing radiation detectors created from significantly thicker freestanding n-type GaN, grown via hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). Detectors were fabricated by depositing Ni/Au pads on n-type GaN, forming a Schottky barrier diode. Capacitance-voltage measurements on the detectors showed an intrinsic carrier concentration in the range of 10 -16 cm-3-10-15 cm-3, and indicated an inhomogeneous distribution between diodes on the same wafer. The radiation sensitivity of the fabricated detectors was analyzed using alpha particles from an 241Am source. Charge collection efficiency (CCE) calculations from these experiments indicate an efficiency of 100 percent. The detectors were also successfully used to detect neutron induced charged particles using a Li2O foil in a neutron beam.

AB - The wide bandgap (3.39) eV and large dislocation energy of the III-V semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) make this a desirable material for charged particle spectroscopy in high temperature, high radiation environments. While other research groups have established that charged particle detectors can be fabricated from high quality, thin films of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown GaN, this work demonstrates the feasibility of ionizing radiation detectors created from significantly thicker freestanding n-type GaN, grown via hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). Detectors were fabricated by depositing Ni/Au pads on n-type GaN, forming a Schottky barrier diode. Capacitance-voltage measurements on the detectors showed an intrinsic carrier concentration in the range of 10 -16 cm-3-10-15 cm-3, and indicated an inhomogeneous distribution between diodes on the same wafer. The radiation sensitivity of the fabricated detectors was analyzed using alpha particles from an 241Am source. Charge collection efficiency (CCE) calculations from these experiments indicate an efficiency of 100 percent. The detectors were also successfully used to detect neutron induced charged particles using a Li2O foil in a neutron beam.

KW - Charged particle detection

KW - Gallium nitride

KW - Neutron detection

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ER -

Evaluation of freestanding GaN as an alpha and neutron detector

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