Micro-inhomogeneity effects and radiation damage in semi-insulating GaAs radiation detectors

Thermally-stimulated current (TSC) measurements and a detailed analysis of current-voltage (I-V) characteristics have been made on semi-insulating GaAs (SI-GaAs) Schottky diode particle detectors, fabricated on substrates from several suppliers, before and after irradiation with 24 GeV protons and 300 MeV pions. The analysis of I-V characteristics allows the determination of the barrier height and bulk resistance in detectors. Changes observed in I-V characteristics and TSC spectra after irradiation are described and a dislocation-net model of radiation-damaged devices is proposed.