Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Silicon Detectors for Gamma-Ray Astronomy

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics

  • 170 Accesses

Abstract

Silicon semiconductor detectors have heralded a worldwide revolution in gamma-ray astrophysics. Because of their ease of fabrication, abundance, and functionality at room temperature, silicon detectors have become the to-go detector for large-scale use in gamma-ray telescopes. This chapter will discuss the principles of silicon detectors, including the interaction of photons in silicon, their operating principles, and various detector technologies. Finally the chapter will overview a sample of past and currently operating space-based gamma-ray missions which have implemented various silicon detector technologies and briefly discuss the future outlook.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • M. Ajello, W.B. Atwood, M. Axelsson, R. Bagagli, M. Bagni, L. Baldini et al., Fermi large area telescope performance after 10 years of operation. ApJ. Suppl. Ser. 256, 12 (2021). [2106.12203]

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Argan et al., The data handling system for the AGILE satellite, in IEEE Symposium Conference Record Nuclear Science, vol. 1 (2004), pp. 371–375

    Google Scholar 

  • I. D. E. AS, https://www.ideas.no, 2022. Accessed 31 Jan 2022

  • W.B. Atwood, R. Bagagli, L. Baldini, R. Bellazzini, G. Barbiellini, F. Belli et al., Design and initial tests of the Tracker-converter of the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope. Astropart. Phys. 28, 422–434 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • L. Baldini, A. Brez, T. Himel, M. Hirayama, R.P. Johnson, W. Kroeger et al., The silicon tracker readout electronics of the gamma-ray large area space telescope. IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 53, 466–473 (2006a)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • L. Baldini, A. Brez, T. Himel, R.P. Johnson, L. Latronico, M. Minuti et al., Fabrication of the GLAST silicon tracker readout electronics. IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 53, 3013–3020 (2006b)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • G. Barbiellini et al., The AGILE scientific instrument, in AIP Conference Proceedings 587, 729, Melville (AIP, 2001), pp. 774–778

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Barbiellini et al., The AGILE silicon tracker: testbeam results of the prototype silicon detector. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A: Accel. Spectrom. Detect. Assoc. Equip. 490, 146–158 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • M. Berger, J. Hubbell, S. Seltzer, J. Chang, J. Coursey, R. Sukumar et al., XCOM: Photon Cross Section Database (version 1.5), National Institute of Standards and Technology. http://physics.nist.gov/xcom. Accessed: (2010)25 Jan 2022

  • I. Brewer, M. Negro, N. Striebig, C. Kierans, R. Caputo, R. Leys et al., Developing the future of gamma-ray astrophysics with monolithic silicon pixels. Nucl. Instrum. Methods A 1019, 165795 (2021). [2109.13409]

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Cattaneo et al., Characterization of a tagged γ-ray beam line at the DAΦNE beam test facility. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A: Accel. Spectrom. Detect. Assoc. Equip. 674, 55–66 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • E. Celesti et al., AGILE, a satellite for high energy γ-ray astrophysics: prospects for the Mini-Calorimeter. New Astron. Rev. 48, 315–320 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • M. Feroci et al., SuperAGILE: the hard X-ray imager for the AGILE space mission. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A: Accel. Spectrom. Detect. Assoc. Equip. 581, 728–754 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • S. Hasan et al., A Photon Tag Calibration Beam for the AGILE Satellite (World Scientific, 2007), pp. 217–222. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789812773678_0036

  • K. Hayashi, I. Park, K. Dotsu, I. Ueno, S. Nishino, M. Matsuoka et al., Radiation effects on the silicon semiconductor detectors for the ASTRO-H mission. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 699, 225–229 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hitomi Collaboration, F. Aharonian, H. Akamatsu, F. Akimoto, S.W. Allen, L. Angelini et al., Detection of polarized gamma-ray emission from the Crab nebula with the Hitomi Soft Gamma-ray Detector. PASJ 70, 113 (2018). [1810.00704]

    Google Scholar 

  • JabberWok, Compton-scattering.svg. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20780 04. Accessed:25 Jan 2022 (2006)

  • M. Kaneko et al., Improvement of radiation hardness of double-sided silicon strip detector for Belle SVD upgrade. IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 49, 1593–1597 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • M. Kokubun, K. Makishima, T. Takahashi, T. Murakami, M. Tashiro, Y. Fukazawa et al., In-orbit performance of the hard X-ray detector on board Suzaku. PASJ 59, 53–76 (2007). [astro-ph/0611233]

    Google Scholar 

  • S.C. Lee, H.B. Jeon, K.H. Kang, H. Park, Study of silicon PIN diode responses to low energy gamma-rays. J. Korean Phys. Soc. 69, 1587–1590 (2016)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • W.R. Leo, Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments A How-to Approach (Springer, Berlin/London, 1994)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • L. Maximon, Simple analytic expressions for the total born approximation cross section for pair production in a coulomb field. J. Res. Natl. Bur. Stand. Sect. B: Math. Sci. 72B, 79–88 (1968)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Moll, Displacement damage in silicon detectors for high energy physics. IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 65, 1561–1582 (2018)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • K. Nakazawa, G. Sato, M. Kokubun, T. Enoto, Y. Fukazawa, K. Hagino et al., Hard x-ray imager onboard Hitomi (ASTRO-H). J. Astron. Telescopes Instrum. Syst. 4, 021410 (2018)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • S. Nishino, Y. Fukazawa, T. Mizuno, H. Takahashi, K. Hayashi, K. Hiragi et al., On-orbit calibration status of the hard x-ray detector (HXD) onboard Suzaku, in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, ed. by M. Arnaud, S.S. Murray, T. Takahashi. Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series, vol. 7732 (2010), p. 77322J. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856888

  • T. Ohsugi et al., Design and properties of the GLAST flight silicon micro-strip sensors. Nucl. Inst. Methods A 541, 29–39 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Particle Data Group collaboration, P. Zyla et al., Rev. Part. Phys. PTEP 2020, 083C01 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  • I. Peric, A novel monolithic pixelated particle detector implemented in high-voltage CMOS technology. Nucl. Instrum. Methods A 582, 876–885 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • I. Perić et al., A high-voltage pixel sensor for the ATLAS upgrade. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 924, 99–103 (2019)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • I. Peric et al., High-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor. IEEE J. Solid State Circuits 56, 2488–2502 (2021)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • C. Pontoni et al., The thermal and vibrational tests of the AGILE silicon tracker, in IEEE Symposium Conference Record Nuclear Science, vol. 1 (2004), pp. 386–389

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Prest et al., The AGILE silicon tracker: an innovative γ-ray instrument for space. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A: Accel. Spectrom. Detect. Assoc. Equip. 501, 280–287 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • V. Radeka, Low-noise techniques in detectors. Annu. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 38, 217 (1988)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • H. Sadrozinski, Applications of silicon detectors. Nucl. Sci. IEEE Trans. 48, 933–940 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • A. Schöning et al., MuPix and ATLASPix – Architectures and Results. PoS Vertex2019, 024 (2020). [2002.07253]

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Seidel, Silicon strip and pixel detectors for particle physics experiments. Phys. Rep. 828, 1–34 (2019)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • C. Sgro, W. Atwood, L. Baldini, G. Barbiellini, R. Bellazzini, F. Belli et al., Construction, test and calibration of the glast silicon tracker. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A: Accel. Spectrom. Detect. Assoc. Equip. 583, 9–13 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • P. Soffitta et al., Instrumental and astrophysical performances of SuperAGILE on-board AGILE Gamma-Ray mission, in Proceedings Volume 4140, X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy XI, Bellingham (SPIE, 2000), pp. 283–292

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Tajima, S. Watanabe, Y. Fukazawa, R. Blandford, T. Enoto, A. Goldwurm et al., Design and performance of Soft Gamma-ray Detector onboard the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) satellite. J. Astron. Telescopes Instrum. Syst. 4, 021411 (2018)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • T. Takahashi, K. Abe, M. Endo, Y. Endo, Y. Ezoe, Y. Fukazawa et al., Hard X-ray detector (HXD) on board Suzaku. PASJ 59, 35–51 (2007). [astro-ph/0611232]

    Google Scholar 

  • T. Takahashi, M. Kokubun, K. Mitsuda, R.L. Kelley, T. Ohashi, F. Aharonian et al., Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray astronomy satellite. J. Astron. Telescopes Instrum. Syst. 4, 021402 (2018)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • D. Turecek, L. Pinsky, J. Jakubek, Z. Vykydal, N. Stoffle, S. Pospisil, Small dosimeter based on timepix device for international space station. J. Instrum. 6, C12037–C12037 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Watanabe, H. Tajima, Y. Fukazawa, Y. Ichinohe, S. Takeda, T. Enoto et al., The Si/CdTe semiconductor Compton camera of the ASTRO-H Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD). Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 765, 192–201 (2014). [1509.00588]

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Wyss et al., SIRAD: an irradiation facility at the LNL tandem accelerator for radiation damage studies on semiconductor detectors and electronic devices and systems. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A: Accel. Spectrom. Detect. Assoc. Equip. 462, 426–434 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA

    R. Caputo

  2. Department of Physical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

    Y. Fukazawa

  3. Department of Physics, Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    R. P. Johnson

  4. Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Seione di Trieste, Italy

    F. Longo

  5. Dipartmento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    F. Longo

  6. Università dell’Insubria, Como, Italy

    M. Prest

  7. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, Italy

    M. Prest

  8. Solar-Terresterial Enviornment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    H. Tajima

  9. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy

    E. Vallazza

Authors
  1. R. Caputo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Y. Fukazawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. P. Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F. Longo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Prest
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. H. Tajima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. E. Vallazza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Caputo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Cosimo Bambi

  2. Inst. for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Andrea Santangelo

Section Editor information

  1. University College, Dublin, Ireland

    Lorraine Hanlon

  2. Université Paris-Saclay, IJCLab, Paris, France

    Vincent Tatischeff

  3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, USA

    David J Thompson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Caputo, R. et al. (2022). Silicon Detectors for Gamma-Ray Astronomy. In: Bambi, C., Santangelo, A. (eds) Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4544-0_160-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4544-0_160-1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-4544-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-4544-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation