IBIC analysis of a linear position sensitive detector: model and experiment

The ion beam-induced charge (IBIC) analysis of a commercial silicon photodiode configured as a position sensitive detector (PSD) for energetic charged particles is the subject of this report. Although the photodiode is designed for detecting the position of incident light and optimized for use in the UV region, we present evidence that it also performs well as a detector for ions, with energies in the MeV range. The device consists of a uniform p-type layer formed on a high-resistivity n-type semiconductor substrate, a pair of electrodes on both ends of the resistive layer, and a common electrode located on the backside of the substrate. The IBIC experiment was carried out at the Laboratory for Ion Beam Interaction of the Ruder Boskovic Institute in Zagreb (HR), using 2 MeV proton microbeam raster scanning the (2.5 mm × 0.6 mm) active area of the PSD. Each of the three electrodes was connected to independent standard NIM charge-sensitive electronic chain and the induced charge pulses associated with the position of individual ions were then digitized using a multi-channel analyzer interfaced with the SPECTOR software. The longitudinal charge collection efficiency profiles acquired from the top electrodes show linear behaviors with opposite slopes, whereas the profile relevant to the signals from the back electrode is almost constant. A model based on the IBIC theory satisfactorily interprets these results. It offers an alternative viewpoint to the commonly adopted Lateral Effect Photodiode principle and paves the way for the development of new PSDs for the identification of the impact position of a MeV ion with a resolution at the micrometer scale.