Poster + Paper
31 August 2022 Total ionizing dose test with DEPFET sensors for Athena's WFI
Valentin Emberger, Michael Bonholzer, Johannes Müller-Seidlitz, Robert Andritschke
Author Affiliations +
Conference Poster
Abstract
The focal plane of Athena’s WFI consists of spectroscopic single photon x-ray detectors that contain arrays of DEPFETs (Depleted P-channel field-effect transistor) as well as ASICs that are used for steering, readout and analog signal shaping. These components have to be examined regarding the effect of ionizing radiation. A total ionizing dose (TID) test was done with prototype detector modules with 64×64 DEPFETs and one SWITCHER and VERITAS ASIC each. The current design of the WFI detector head features a proton shield equivalent to 4 cm of aluminum in order to prevent a strong increase of leakage current in the fully depleted 450 µm thick bulk of the sensor. This keeps the expected doses and dose rates during the nominal mission relatively low (~5 Gy). It is nevertheless important to study the current system in a dedicated TID test in order to exclude unforeseen effects and to study any radiation related changes that can have an effect on the very sensitive readout chain and the detector performance. The combination of low doses, low dose rates, low operating temperature (<-60°C) but high sensitivity on small changes of the threshold voltages represent somehow unusual boundary conditions in comparison to TID tests for standard radiation hard electronic components. Under these circumstances it was found beneficial to do the test in our own laboratory with an x-ray source in order to realize irradiation during nominal operation conditions. Furthermore, it facilitated to take annealing effects into account. Reasonably accurate dosimetry is achieved by measuring the x-ray spectrum and intensity with the device under test. After irradiation to a total dose of 14 Gy and subsequent annealing the threshold voltage of the DEPFETs were shifted by a mean value of 80 mV, the performance remained unchanged apart from a slight increase in readout noise by 10%.
© (2022) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Valentin Emberger, Michael Bonholzer, Johannes Müller-Seidlitz, and Robert Andritschke "Total ionizing dose test with DEPFET sensors for Athena's WFI", Proc. SPIE 12181, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 1218142 (31 August 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630048
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KEYWORDS
Sensors

Field effect transistors

X-rays

Annealing

Silicon

X-ray sources

Quantum efficiency

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