An Evaluation of Cadmium Sulfide as a Nuclear Radiation Detector

Abstract

Solid state radiation detectors were constructed using crystal platelets of CdS. Both intrinsic and p-n junction detectors were made and evaluated. Although alpha particles were detected by both types of detectors, the mobility-lifetime product of the charge carriers resulted in the pulse response not being proportional to the energy of the incident particle. The best experimental value for the mobility-lifetime product in CdS was 2.6 x 1 over 10 to the sixth power sq cm/volt for the electrons and 2.1 x 1 over 10 to the sixth power sq cm/volt for the holes. Also an experimental value of 5.2 electron volts dissipated per hole-electron pair formed was determined. A resolution of 6.8 percent was obtained with one detector. Other phenomena such as the trapping of the charge carriers and the ionization of neutral impurity atoms also were evident in the crystal.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1962
Accession Number
AD0284020

Entities

People

  • Darrel L. Mills

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alpha Particles
  • Band Gaps
  • Charge Carriers
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Compound Semiconductors
  • Detectors
  • Electric Fields
  • Energy Bands
  • Ionization
  • Ionizing Radiation
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Nuclear Radiation
  • Nucleons
  • P-N Junctions
  • Semiconductors
  • Solid State Physics

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Plasma Physics.
  • Semiconductor Device Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics