Ambient Storage Effects and Mounting Problems of Very Large Volume Ge LID Detectors

Ambient Storage Effects and Mounting Problems of Very Large Volume Ge LID Detectors, Guy Armantrout - In order to better understand the problems involved in mounting and handling a large volume Ge LID detector, a study was undertaken of the surface-setting procedure before mounting and the effect of diode storage for varying periods of time at the ambient temperature. The diode surface potential, diode capacitance, and diode V-I characteristics were taken as a function of different surface treatments before mounting. The results were correlated using an inversion layer model for the diode. Leakage currents less than 0.5 nA at 3 kV have thus far been obtained. The compensated region of Ge LID diodes is slightly supersaturated with lithium at room temperature. These diodes tend to revert back to the original P-type material because of lithium precipitation. The rate of precipitation was found for several diodes and was found to be a function of the effective lithium mobility.