Partition of the Average Energy Deposited in Silicon as a Function of Incident Neutron Energy

This paper presents calculations and experimental data of the partition of the average energy deposited in crystalline silicon per incident neutron as a function of incident neutron energy. The study is confined (1) to the energy imparted from elastic and inelastic neutron scattering, and (2) to that imparted from charged-particle production. As the incident neutron energy increases from 200 to 14 keV, the average ionization energy deposited increases from ≈1×10^-9 to ≈1×10^-7 (erg/g) per (neutron/cm²), and the energy available for displacements (nonionization) increases from ≈3×10^-9 to ≈6×10^-9 (erg/g) per (neutron/cm²). The calculations of ionization are in good agreement with the experimental data. In addition, carrier-removal experiments in silicon performed with monoenergetic neutrons show agreement when normalized at 14 MeV with the calculations of the energy available for displacements.