Transient Current Simulations: Benchmark of Numerical Tools for Proton, Electron, and Alpha Irradiation in Solid-State Detectors

The simulation of charge collection in solid-state detectors (SSDs) can be carried out with technology computer-aided design (TCAD) or Shockley–Ramo paradigms. These two paradigms have their limitations when simulating a large variety of cases, spanning from types of radiation, energy ranges, substrate doping concentration, and applied bias. The aim of this article is to explore the limits of these tools for the energy ranges of protons and electrons of the Earth’s radiation belts, as well as establish a benchmark of the different simulation codes that implement these paradigms. Proton, electron, and alpha irradiations are carried out using a fast current amplifier and several different diodes. A 1-D TCAD code has been developed and is presented here. Comparisons are then made with the other calculation paradigms for different types of irradiation conditions and diodes, showcasing which codes work best for the different configurations.