A measurement of the electron–hole pair creation energy and the Fano factor in silicon for 5.9 keV X-rays and their temperature dependence in the range 80–270 K

A measurement of the energy ω to create an electron–hole pair and its temperature dependence between 80 and 270 K has been made using a small Si p–i–n diode and 5.9 keV X-rays. A value of 3.73±0.09 eV with a gradient of −0.0131±0.0004% K−1 was found. The photo-peak dispersion D was also measured and from the values between 110 K and 235 K, the product ωF was found to be 0.441±0.005 eV. This is consistent with a constant Fano factor F of 0.118±0.004.