Electrical characteristics analysis of a 314 mm2 double-sided spiral SDD for x-ray pulsar navigation

Abstract Pulsar navigation, to meet the physical needs of detecting pulsed x-ray contour, requires a large-area and high-energy resolution silicon drift detector (SDD). Until recently when we designed and fabricated a 314 mm 2 double-sided spiral SDD, SDDs developed worldwide have been relatively small in size with a typical diameter less than 10 mm. The details of the design of our 314 mm 2 double-sided spiral SDD had been reported in the literature (Li (2013) Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 730 73–78). Present work involves the analysis of electrical characteristics simulations of a 314 mm 2 double-sided spiral SDD. It is essential to study the carriers drift behavior of a 314 mm 2 double-sided spiral SDD for the structural design optimization of the detector. Therefore, this paper analyzes the relevant electrical characteristics that can characterize the carriers drift behavior. Firstly, this paper illustrates the electric potential, electric field, and electron concentration of the detector. Then, it also provides an analysis of the transient current by simulated the single event transient (SET) effect. The SILVACO TCAD simulator was used to simulate these electrical characteristics. Based on TCAD simulation, the best drift electric field and optimal electron drift channel in a 314 mm 2 double-sided spiral SDD are demonstrated. Moreover, the transient current and charge collection mechanism of the detector is also analyzed. Finally, we also tested the leakage current and capacitance of the detector at room temperature.