First investigation of the response of solar cells to heavy ions above 1 AMeV

Authors :: Henriques, A.
Jurado, B.
Pibernat, J.
Thomas, J. C.
Denis-Petit, D.
Chiron, T.
Gaudefroy, L.
Glorius, J.
Litvinov, Yu. A.
Mathieu, L.
Méot, V.
Pérez-Sánchez, R.
Roig, O.
Spillmann, U.
Thomas, B.
Thomas, B. A.
Tsekhanovich, I.
Varga, L.
Xing, Y.
Publication Year :: 2019
Abstract: Solar cells have been used since several decades for the detection of fission fragments at about 1 AMeV. The advantages of solar cells regarding their cost (few euros) and radiation damage resistance make them an interesting candidate for heavy ion detection and an appealing alternative to silicon detectors. A first exploratory measurement of the response of solar cells to heavy ions at energies above 1 AMeV has been performed at the GANIL facility, Caen, France. Such measurements were performed with 84Kr and 129Xe beams ranging from 7 to 13 AMeV. The energy and time response of several types of solar cells were studied. The best performance was observed for cells of 10x10 mm2, with an energy and time resolution of {\sigma}(E)/E=1.4% and 3.6 ns (FWHM), respectively. Irradiations at rates from a few hundred to 106 particles per second were also performed to investigate the behavior of the cells with increasing intensity.<br />Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures