PNNL

Abstract

A fast screening technique to evaluate detector response was demonstrated using a silicon detector. Pulse height was measured for H, He, Be, C, O, Mg, Si, Ni, Zr and Au ions over a wide energy range using a time-of-flight (TOF) telescope. Using scattering or recoil process, a secondary beam with a continuous energy distribution but low intensity is generated to avoid direct beam exposure of the Si detector. Prior to impinging on the Si detector, the energy of individual ions is determined from the time of flight and its tabulated isotopic mass. The pulse height-energy calibration for ions with a given atomic number can be described by a linear relationship with small systematic deviations. For particles that have the same velocity (~500 keV/nucleon), a non-linear dependence on efficiency of electron–hole pair collection is observed as a function of electronic stopping power. The detector response is studied using He ions, and the measured energy resolution is given as functions of deposition energies over a wide energy range.