Suppression of irradiation effects in Fe-doped silicon Schottky diodes

In this study, the suppression of irradiation effects of Fe-doped silicon diodes was studied. Two sets of silicon-based diodes (undoped and Fe-doped p-Si diodes) were irradiated with 4 MeV protons to a fluence of 1x10¹⁷ p/cm^-2 and then characterized prior to and after irradiation using current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The first batch was undoped p-silicon (Si) Schottky diodes fabricated on Si material, while the second batch was Fe-doped p-Si diodes. The rate of decrease in reverse and forward current in the Fe-doped p-Si diode is less than that of the undoped p-Si diode, indicating that the effect of irradiation has been suppressed due to Fe-doping. The obtained results suggest that Fe-induced defects in Si have improved the radiation-hardness of Si material. Hence, Fe just like Au and Pt is a suitable candidate in a bid to improve the radiation-hardness of Si material.