GaN Schottky diodes for proton beam monitoring

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that GaN Schottky diodes are effective, sensitive, and fast detectors for high-energy proton beams used in tumor treatment, with good linearity and imaging capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces the use of GaN Schottky diodes for high-energy proton detection, highlighting their sensitivity, linear response, and imaging potential in medical applications.

Findings

High sensitivity to 64.8 MeV protons

Linear response with beam intensity

Demonstrated imaging capability

Abstract

We have demonstrated that GaN Schottky diodes can be used for high energy (64.8 MeV) proton detection. Such proton beams are used for tumor treatment, for which accurate and radiation resistant detectors are needed. Schottky diodes have been measured to be highly sensitive to protons, to have a linear response with beam intensity and fast enough for the application. Some photoconductive gain was found in the diode leading to a good compromise between responsivity and response time. The imaging capability of GaN diodes in proton detection is also demonstrated.