Optimization of the Transient Characteristics of the Rectifiers under High-Energy Electron Irradiation

• Published in: Instruments and experimental techniques (New York) 2024-06, Vol.67 (3), p.587-592
• Main Authors: Schemerov, I. V., Lagov, P. B., Kobeleva, S. P., Kirilov, V. D., Drenin, A. S., Mescheryakov, A. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Capacitance; Electric potential; Electrical Engineering; Electron irradiation; High energy electrons; Laboratory Techniques; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Optimization; Physical Chemistry; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Radiation; Radiation dosage; Recovery time; Rectifiers; Relaxation time; Voltage
• ISSN: 0020-4412; 1608-3180
• DOI: 10.1134/S0020441224700866

It is shown that capacitance–frequency characterization can help to derive the optimization limits for radiation optimization of the transient properties of the rectifiers. Measurements of the current–voltage, capacitance–voltage, capacitance–frequency characteristics, and reverse recovery profiling were provided for silicon-based rectifiers. p – n -junction rectifiers were irradiated by 5 MeV electrons with fluences from 10 14 to 10 15 cm –2 . It is shown that reverse-recovery time decreases after 5 MeV electron irradiation and this decreasing changes monotonously with irradiation dose (from 2.2 ms to 15 µs for 10 15 cm –2 ). At the same time, series resistance increases dramatically (from 0.5 to 90 Ω); it indicates strong degradation of the high-frequency properties. Next criteria for optimal radiation dose can be used: the irradiation level associated with the maximum of boundary frequency indicates the optimum in terms of switching speed. Before this dose, maximum frequency is limited by reverse-recovery time of diode. After this dose, the limiting factor is the relaxation time of RC -circuit, where R is the series resistance of the diode and C is the capacitance of the SRC -region.