Effect of temperature on silicon PIN photodiode radiation detectors

One of the noise sources of a semiconductor radiation detector is thermal noise, which degrades the performance, such as the energy resolution and unexpected random pulse signals. In this study, PIN photodiode radiation detectors, with different active areas were designed and fabricated for an experimental comparison of the energy resolutions for different temperatures and capacitances by using a Ba-133 calibration gamma-ray source. The experimental temperature was approximately in the range from -7 to 24 °C and was controlled by using a peltier device. The design considerations and the electrical characteristics, such as the I-V and the C-V characteristics, are also addressed.