Breakdown of silicon particle detectors under proton irradiation

Silicon particle detectors made on Czochralski and float zone silicon materials were irradiated with 7 and 9 MeV protons at a temperature of 220 K. During the irradiations, the detectors were biased up to their operating voltage. Specific values for the fluence and flux of the irradiation were found to cause a sudden breakdown in the detectors. We studied the limits of the fluence and the flux in the breakdown as well as the behavior of the detector response function under high flux irradiations. The breakdown was shown to be an edge effect. Additionally, the buildup of an oxide charge is suggested to lead to an increased localized electric field, which in turn triggers a charge carrier multiplication. Furthermore, we studied the influences of the type of silicon material and the configuration of the detector guard rings.