Silicon carbide radiation detector for harsh environments

We used commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) silicon carbide (SiC) ultraviolet photodiodes for measuring gamma dose rates at high temperature. We tested them with Co-60 gamma dose rates between 0.03 mGy(Air)/s and 3 Gy(Air)/s. The diodes show excellent sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and good linearity. They were operated at temperatures up to 200°C with negligible changes of the dark and the radiation-induced current. Gamma irradiation up to a total dose of 1080 kGy(Air), 32-MeV proton irradiations up to a fluence of 8.5 × 10¹² cm^-2, and 14-MeV neutron irradiations up to 4.1 × 10¹² cm^-2 demonstrate their radiation hardness. These results and the ability to measure the proton as well as the neutron dose rate after a calibration with Co-60 gammas show that COTS SiC diodes can be used as radiation detectors in harsh environments.