4H-SiC PIN detector for alpha particles from room temperature to 90 {\deg}C

TL;DR

This paper presents a 4H-SiC PIN detector capable of stable alpha particle detection from room temperature up to 90°C, demonstrating low leakage current and fast response at elevated temperatures, suitable for high-temperature environments.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel 4H-SiC PIN detector with proven high-temperature stability and performance, advancing silicon carbide detector technology for harsh environments.

Findings

Leakage current remains below 10 nA at 90°C

Depletion capacitance and charge collection are unaffected by temperature

Achieves a 333 ps rise time at 90°C

Abstract

In the field of high-energy particle detection, detectors operating in high-radiation environments primarily face high costs associated with power consumption and cooling systems. Therefore, the development of particle detectors capable of stable operation at room temperature or even elevated temperatures is of great significance. Silicon carbide (SiC) exhibits significant potential for particle detector applications due to its exceptional carrier mobility, radiation hardness, and thermal stability. Over the past decade, significant breakthroughs in silicon carbide epitaxial growth technology and device processing techniques have enabled the development of SiC-based particle detectors, providing a new technological pathway for particle detection in high-temperature environments. In this work, we fabricate a 4H-SiC PIN detector, named SIlicon CARbide (SICAR) and characterize its leakage current, capacitance, and charge collection across varying temperatures. The results indicate that the detector maintains a very low leakage current (< 10 nA) at 90 C, with no degradation in depletion capacitance or charge collection performance. Additionally, it achieves a fast rise time of 333 ps at 90 C, confirming its potential for high-temperature radiation detection applications.