Evidence against existing x-ray-energy response theories for silicon-surface-barrier semiconductor detectors

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Abstract
The detailed x-ray-energy response of silicon-surface-barrier (SSB) semiconductor detectors is investigated using synchrotron radiation from a 2.5-GeV positron storage ring. These data are found to be contrary to existing theoretical predictions for the response based on (i) the silicon-depletion-layer thickness (the commonly held belief described in textbooks), and (ii) the silicon-wafer thickness (a recent proposal). This finding affects not only previously published conclusions on analyzed plasma-electron temperatures using these existing SSB theories, but also the resultant discussions on plasma behavior reported from various plasma devices. Also, this information is of importance for ongoing and future analyses of SSB data so as to avoid making further misinterpretations from the analyzed results. A possible physical interpretation for these unexpected SSB response data is discussed using thermal charge-diffusion effects in the SSB substrate. These discussions provide the physics bases to solve this unexpected problem for the actual SSB response; that is, where the actual SSB-sensitive layer is, and what the physical mechanism for this SSB response is.

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