A comparison between MeV protons and α particles for IBIC analysis

Abstract

There are two major problems with the IBIC (ion beam induced charge) technique which hampers its wider use for the analysis of semiconductor materials. The small measured charge pulses give a low signal to noise ratio, and ion induced damage limits the maximum ion dose which can be used to form an IBIC image. This paper investigates the different charge pulse heights obtained using MeV protons and α particles, and the rate at which the ion induced damage decreases the measured charge pulse height.