What Are Semiconductor Detectors?

Semiconductor detectors ^[1] are radiation detectors that use semiconductor materials as the detection medium. The most common semiconductor materials are germanium and silicon. The basic principle is similar to that of a gas ionization chamber, so it is also called a solid ionization chamber. The basic principle of a semiconductor detector is that a charged particle generates an electron-hole pair in the sensitive volume of the semiconductor detector. The electron-hole pair drifts under the action of an external electric field and outputs a signal. Common semiconductor detectors include PN junction semiconductor detectors, lithium drift semiconductor detectors, and high-purity germanium semiconductor detectors. The entry describes in detail the principles, characteristics, working conditions, etc. of the above three semiconductor detectors.

The predecessor of the semiconductor detector can be considered a crystal counter ^[1]

The basic principle of a semiconductor detector is that a charged particle generates an electron-hole pair in the sensitive volume of the semiconductor detector. The electron-hole pair drifts under the action of an external electric field and outputs a signal ^[2]

1) Best energy resolution ^[3]

All of the above

With the continuous development of science and technology ^[2]

In the AMS experiment led by Ding Yizhong, the goal was to find antimatter and dark matter in the cosmic rays. The track chamber of the detector's core uses a multilayer silicon microstrip detector. The core part of the large-area gamma-ray space telescope of the GLAST experimental group participated by the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, etc. also uses a multilayer silicon microstrip detector with a total area of more than 80 square meters, which is mainly used as e- + e + track measurement telescope for the conversion process. The position resolution of the silicon microstrip detector can be better than = 1.4 m, which is difficult for any gas detector and scintillation detector.