An Electron-Beam-Induced Current Detector for Diagnostics of Power Converters of Radioisotope β Radiation Based on Diamond Schottky Barrier Diodes in a Scanning Electron Microscope

Abstract

A system is developed to measure and visualize the distribution of the magnitude of the electron-beam-induced current over the area of diamond Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) using an electron beam in a Vega3 Tescan scanning electron microscope. The system allows measurements of the current–voltage and photovoltaic characteristics and the complex diagnostics of SBDs that are designed for use as energy converters of radioisotope β radiation from ⁶³Ni into electrical energy. The system consists of a developed two-stage electron-beam-induced current detector, a power supply, and a computer unit for control, data acquisition, and data processing with the LabView software control. In studies of a series of SBD specimens, information on the presence of various types of structural defects in the diodes was obtained and their impact on the functional characteristics of the diodes was evaluated.