ABSTRACT
Charged particles moving through matter interact with the atomic electrons in the material. If the energy of the interacting particle is high enough, the atoms will ionize, leading to an energy loss of the traversing particle and the release of free electrons and charged ions. The creation of radiation-induced energy levels in the forbidden band gap enhances the generation–recombination processes in silicon. From the practical, radiation effects on silicon detectors can be divided in two well-distinguished categories: surface damage and bulk damage. In silicon detectors used for tracking in highly radioactive environments, the damage to the bulk is caused by charged hadrons like protons, pions or neutrons or highly energetic leptons like electrons or muons. A very important aspect related to surface damage that is often underestimated is its strong dependence on the device's operational conditions while exposed to ionizing radiation.
