Low-energy proton detection by Pd metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes

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Abstract
It has been discovered that palladium-gated metal-insulator-silicon Schottky barrier diodes are very sensitive to fluxes of energetic protons in high vacuum. Data on the dosimetric response of the diodes to energetic protons are presented, along with data on the subsequent decay in the induced signal. A model for the response is developed, based on the response of similar structures to partial pressures of molecular hydrogen. The model involves adsorption sites at both the external Pd surface and the interface between Pd and SiO2, as well as known H absorption properties of bulk Pd. The sensitivity at 300 K of our diodes is about 109 protons (1011 cm−2). The inventory of protons stored in the bulk Pd, the surface, and at the interface indicates that the areal site density for the surface and interface is about 1015 cm−2.