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Semiconductor Radiation Detectors: Sensors, Readout Electronics and Applications
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Semiconductor Radiation Detectors: Sensors, Readout Electronics and Applications

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2025 | Viewed by 3875

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Filippo Mele

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: radiation detectors; nuclear microelectronics; application specific integrated circuits

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Semiconductor radiation detectors (SRDs) are a wide class of sensors for the measurement of radiation, that, according to their material, can be classified into either elemental (Si, Ge, C, etc.) or compound (SiC, GaAs, GaN, CdTe, TlBr, etc.) semiconductor detectors. Due to their versatility, in terms of physical and electrical properties, geometry, and doping profiles, SRDs can be adopted for high-resolution spectroscopy, imaging, timing, and dosimetry purposes, as well as for light transducers in scintillator-based detection systems, with a widespread usage in scientific, medical, and industrial applications. This incredible variety of employment possibilities comes with an even broader assortment of electronics dedicated to the front-end readout, processing, and digitization of the sensors’ charge signals. Often constrained by demanding specifications in terms of noise performance, channel density, power dissipation, and radiation hardness, the realization of such front-end electronics typically requires the design of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The joint effort in the development of the sensor and the ASIC allows for state-of-the-art applications in fundamental science, such as high-energy physics experiments at synchrotron radiation facilities, X-ray free-electron lasers, and X-ray telescopes for astrophysics, as well as in medical instrumentation, but also in industrial contexts where they are gaining ground in the most advanced inspection technologies for product quality control, security, and material recycling.

This Special Issue is dedicated to the advances in radiation detection systems based on SRDs, inviting contributions with a focus on fundamental and applicative studies of the sensors, on the design and development of the front-end electronics, and on the characterization and calibration of complete SRD systems. Both reviews and original research articles related to the topic are welcome.

Dr. Filippo Mele
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • semiconductor radiation detectors
  • X-ray and gamma-ray detectors
  • nuclear microelectronics
  • application-specific integrated circuits
  • low-noise electronics
  • silicon drift detectors (SDDs)
  • silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs)
  • low-gain avalanche diodes (LGAD)
  • SiC radiation detectors
  • compound semiconductor radiation detectors
  • high-Z semiconductor radiation detectors

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 10310 KiB  
Article
The SPICE Modeling of a Radiation Sensor Based on a MOSFET with a Dielectric HfO2/SiO2 Double-Layer
by Miloš Marjanović, Stefan D. Ilić, Sandra Veljković, Nikola Mitrović, Umutcan Gurer, Ozan Yilmaz, Aysegul Kahraman, Aliekber Aktag, Huseyin Karacali, Erhan Budak, Danijel Danković, Goran Ristić and Ercan Yilmaz
Sensors 2025, 25(2), 546; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25020546 - 18 Jan 2025
Viewed by 482
Abstract
We report on a procedure for extracting the SPICE model parameters of a RADFET sensor with a dielectric HfO2/SiO2 double-layer. RADFETs, traditionally fabricated as PMOS transistors with SiO2, are enhanced by incorporating high-k dielectric materials such as HfO [...] Read more.
We report on a procedure for extracting the SPICE model parameters of a RADFET sensor with a dielectric HfO2/SiO2 double-layer. RADFETs, traditionally fabricated as PMOS transistors with SiO2, are enhanced by incorporating high-k dielectric materials such as HfO2 to reduce oxide thickness in modern radiation sensors. The fabrication steps of the sensor are outlined, and model parameters, including the threshold voltage and transconductance, are extracted based on experimental data. Experimental setups for measuring electrical characteristics and irradiation are described, and a method for determining model parameters dependent on the accumulated dose is provided. A SPICE model card is proposed, including parameters for two dielectric thicknesses: (30/10) nm and (40/5) nm. The sensitivities of the sensors are 1.685 mV/Gy and 0.78 mV/Gy, respectively. The model is calibrated for doses up to 20 Gy, and good agreement between experimental and simulation results validates the proposed model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Semiconductor Radiation Detectors: Sensors, Readout Electronics and Applications)
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17 pages, 11667 KiB  
Article
Silicon Drift Detectors for the Measurement and Reconstruction of Beta Spectra
by Andrea Nava, Leonardo Bernardini, Matteo Biassoni, Tommaso Bradanini, Marco Carminati, Giovanni De Gregorio, Carlo Fiorini, Giulio Gagliardi, Peter Lechner, Riccardo Mancino and Chiara Brofferio
Sensors 2024, 24(24), 8202; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24248202 - 22 Dec 2024
Viewed by 681
Abstract
The ASPECT-BET project, or An sdd-SPECTrometer for BETa decay studies, aims to develop a novel technique for the precise measurement of forbidden beta spectra in the 10 keV–1 MeV range. This technique employs a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) as the main spectrometer with [...] Read more.
The ASPECT-BET project, or An sdd-SPECTrometer for BETa decay studies, aims to develop a novel technique for the precise measurement of forbidden beta spectra in the 10 keV–1 MeV range. This technique employs a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) as the main spectrometer with the option of a veto system to reject events exhibiting only partial energy deposition in the SDD. A precise understanding of the spectrometer’s response to electrons is crucial for accurately reconstructing the theoretical shape of the beta spectrum. To compute this response, GEANT4 simulations optimized for low-energy electron interactions are used and validated with a custom-made electron gun. In this article we present the performance of these simulations in reconstructing the electron spectra measured with SDDs of a 109Cd monochromatic source, both in vacuum and in air. The allowed beta spectrum of a 14C source was also measured and analyzed, proving that this system is suitable for the application in ASPECT-BET. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Semiconductor Radiation Detectors: Sensors, Readout Electronics and Applications)
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12 pages, 3710 KiB  
Article
Design and Performance of an InAs Quantum Dot Scintillator with Integrated Photodetector
by Tushar Mahajan, Allan Minns, Vadim Tokranov, Michael Yakimov, Michael Hedges, Pavel Murat and Serge Oktyabrsky
Sensors 2024, 24(22), 7178; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24227178 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 891
Abstract
A new scintillation material composed of InAs quantum dots (QDs) hosted within a GaAs matrix was developed, and its performance with different types of radiation is evaluated. A methodology for designing an integrated photodetector (PD) with a low defect density and that is [...] Read more.
A new scintillation material composed of InAs quantum dots (QDs) hosted within a GaAs matrix was developed, and its performance with different types of radiation is evaluated. A methodology for designing an integrated photodetector (PD) with a low defect density and that is optically matched to the QD’s emission spectrum is introduced, utilizing an engineered epitaxial InAlGaAs metamorphic buffer layer. The photoluminescence (PL) collection efficiency of the integrated PD is examined using two-dimensional scanning laser excitation. The detector response to 5.5 MeV α-particles and 122 keV photons is presented. Yields of 13 electrons/keV for α-particles and 30–60 electrons/keV for photons were observed. The energy resolution of 12% observed with α-particles was mainly limited by noise- and geometry-related optical losses. The radiation hardness of an InAs QDs hosted within GaAs and a wider band gap AlGaAs ternary alloy was studied under a 1 MeV proton implantation up to a 1014 cm−2 dose. The integrated PL responses were compared to evaluate PL quenching due to non-radiative defects. The QDs embedded in the AlGaAs demonstrated improved radiation hardness compared to QDs in the GaAs matrix and in the InGaAs quantum wells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Semiconductor Radiation Detectors: Sensors, Readout Electronics and Applications)
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20 pages, 10120 KiB  
Article
Radiation Damage on Silicon Photomultipliers from Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation of Low-Earth Orbit Operations
by Stefano Merzi, Fabio Acerbi, Corinne Aicardi, Daniela Fiore, Vincent Goiffon, Alberto Giacomo Gola, Olivier Marcelot, Alex Materne and Olivier Saint-Pe
Sensors 2024, 24(15), 4990; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24154990 - 1 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1034
Abstract
Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are single photon detectors that gained increasing interest in many applications as an alternative to photomultiplier tubes. In the field of space experiments, where volume, weight and power consumption are a major constraint, their advantages like compactness, ruggedness, and their [...] Read more.
Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are single photon detectors that gained increasing interest in many applications as an alternative to photomultiplier tubes. In the field of space experiments, where volume, weight and power consumption are a major constraint, their advantages like compactness, ruggedness, and their potential to achieve high quantum efficiency from UV to NIR makes them ideal candidates for spaceborne, low photon flux detectors. During space missions however, SiPMs are usually exposed to high levels of radiation, both ionizing and non-ionizing, which can deteriorate the performance of these detectors over time. The goal of this work is to compare process and layout variation of SiPMs in terms of their radiation damage effects to identify the features that helps reduce the deterioration of the performance and develop the next generation of more radiation-tolerant detectors. To do this, we used protons and X-rays to irradiate several Near Ultraviolet High-Density (NUV-HD) SiPMs with small areas (single microcell, 0.2 × 0.2 mm2 and 1 × 1 mm2) produced at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Italy. We performed online current-voltage measurements right after each irradiation step, and a complete functional characterization before and after irradiation. We observed that the main contribution to performance degradation in space applications comes from proton damage in the form of an increase in primary dark count rate (DCR) proportional to the proton fluence and a reduction in activation energy. In this context, small active area devices show a lower DCR before and after irradiation, and we propose light or charge-focusing mechanisms as future developments for high-sensitivity radiation-tolerant detectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Semiconductor Radiation Detectors: Sensors, Readout Electronics and Applications)
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