Response of Silicon Surface Barrier Detectors to Hydrogen Ions of Energies 25 to 250 KEV

Commercially produced silicon surface barrier counters have been exposed at room temperature to hydrogen ion beams varying in energy from 18 to 225 kev and the pulse spectra analyzed. The output has been found to be linear with ion energy. A dead layer equivalent to about 4 kev loss by a 100 kev proton is indicated, suggesting that the gold surface layer is the only dead region. The width of the pulse spectrum is found to be about 9 kev for protons independent of ion energy, and limited by system noise. Multi-atomic ions produce an output a few percent below that expected of an equivalent number of protons of the same velocity. The width of the pulse spectrum is also found to be greater for the multi-atomic ions than for protons.