Investigation of electronic behavior of an irradiated diode circuit for gamma radiation purposes

The ionizing radiations are able to make either a permanent or temporarily damage in the electronic circuits. The temporary effects during irradiation can be used to detect the ionizing radiation. In this study a diode in reverse bias has been used to investigate the effects of ionization radiation on semiconductors. The variation of reverse current of diode has been monitored due to interaction of gamma with semiconductor material. The commercially available diode N4001 was used in serial connection with resistant. Results show the major effect of irradiation on diodes is the increase in reverse current. The increase in reverse bias current is linked to the creation of mid-gap states. It is possible to detect the gamma radiation using a simple diode circuit in reverse bias. Thus, a silicon diode can be thought of as a solid-state equivalent to an ionization-chamber radiation detector.