Investigation of voltages and electric fields in silicon radiation detectors using a scanning electron microscope

Abstract The paper describes qualitative and quantitative methods to measure voltages and electric fields in a biased silicon p + /n − /n + radiation detector with a scanning electron microscope using voltage-contrast phenomenon. The contrast is converted to voltage mathematically using simple equations. After splitting the detector, voltages and electric fields inside the detector can be imaged and measured. The results are compared with capacitance–voltage measurements and 2D electrical simulations.