Assessing Radiation Hardness of Silicon Photonic Sensors

Zeeshan Ahmed; Lonnie T Cumberland; Nikolai N Klimov; Ileana M Pazos; Ronald E Tosh; Ryan Fitzgerald

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-31286-9

Assessing Radiation Hardness of Silicon Photonic Sensors

Sci Rep. 2018 Aug 29;8(1):13007. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-31286-9.

Authors

Zeeshan Ahmed¹, Lonnie T Cumberland¹, Nikolai N Klimov¹, Ileana M Pazos¹, Ronald E Tosh¹, Ryan Fitzgerald²

Affiliations

¹ Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
² Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA. ryan.fitzgerald@nist.gov.

Abstract

In recent years, silicon photonic platforms have undergone rapid maturation enabling not only optical communication but complex scientific experiments ranging from sensors applications to fundamental physics investigations. There is considerable interest in deploying photonics-based communication and science instruments in harsh environments such as outer space, where radiation damage is a significant concern. In this study, we have examined the impact of cobalt-60 γ-ray radiation up to 1 megagray (MGy) absorbed dose on silicon photonic devices. We do not find any systematic impact of radiation on passivated devices, indicating the durability of passivated silicon devices under harsh conditions.