Segmented silicon-based solid-state detector with thin dead layer for superheavy element research

Abstract

Abstract Silicon-based solid-state detectors (SSDs) are crucial for investigating the properties of superheavy elements (SHEs), since they measure the energy of SHEs and charged particles that are emitted as successive decay events of the SHEs. We have developed a segmented SSD for SHE studies using the new gas-filled recoil ion separators (GARIS-II and GARIS-III) at RIKEN. It is based on a back-illuminated Si PIN photodiode in which the irradiation is through the N+ layer. The detector is introduced as a side one for the GARIS focal plane detection system. To investigate the characteristics of the SSD, 241Am α particles were irradiated by automatically moving and rotating the α source for each segmented portion of the SSD. A Monte Carlo simulation was also performed to estimate the dead layer thickness of the segmented SSD.