Close to midgap trapping level in Co60 gamma irradiated silicon detectors

The deep level transient spectroscopy method was applied on standard and oxygenated float-zone silicon detectors exposed to high doses of Co60–gamma irradiation. We have detected and characterized a close to midgap trapping level having an ionization energy of EC−(0.545±0.005) eV and electron/hole capture cross sections of σn=(1.7±0.2)×10−15 cm2/σp=(9±1)×10−14 cm2 respectively. This level has a strong impact on the detector performance being responsible for more than 90% of the change in the effective doping concentration. The defect is strongly oxygen related and a possible connection with the V2O complex is discussed.