Updated NIEL calculations for estimating the damage induced by particles and γ-rays in Si and GaAs

Abstract Systematic calculations of the non-ionizing energy losses (NIEL) have been performed for electrons, protons, neutrons and γ-rays in Si and GaAs for a wide range of particle energies. Well-established theoretical approaches as well as newly-developed data (ENDF/B-VI for protons and neutrons) have been used for calculating the differential cross sections for energy transfer to the recoils which in turn produce displacement damage. Some differences, found between our calculations and other works, have been explained. Equivalent fluences of particles, i.e. those introducing the same displacement damage, have been estimated. The updated calculations and models presented here are useful for assessing device performance in space and laboratory tests.