Continuous charge restoration in semiconductor detectors by means of the gate-to-drain current of the integrated front-end JFET

A continuous reset method for discharging the leakage current and the signal charge in semiconductor radiation detectors with on-chip electronics has been studied and experimentally verified. The charge collected at the output electrode of the detector is discharged by means of the gate-to-drain current of the front-end JFET integrated in the detector itself. The suitable value of gate current is reached by means of a "weak" avalanche breakdown mechanism which occurs in a high-field region of the transistor channel. When the JFET is operated in a source follower configuration, this mechanism is self-adapting to new values of leakage or signal currents.