Linear energy transfer of heavy ions in silicon

Researchers performing radiation testing on electronic components often rely on semi-empirical prediction codes for determining the linear energy transfer (LET) (or electronic stopping force) of ions, without paying much attention to their reliability. However, it is seen that estimations calculated with different codes can have over 10% discrepancies, especially in the case of heavy ions with higher LET (e.g., xenon). As a consequence of the modern component fabrication techniques this has become an important issue when studying the radiation durability of electronics. In order to clarify this inconsistency, LET measurements for [sup.131]Xe and [sup.82]Kr in silicon have been undertaken and obtained results are presented, discussed and compared with earlier predicted data. Index Terms--Electronic stopping force, krypton, linear energy transfer, silicon, time-of-flight, xenon.