Longevity evaluation of SiC based alpha voltaic batteries with surface alpha sources

Daryl Giglio; Sha Xue; Katie Hoffman; Praneeth Kandlakunta; Henry Spitz; Vasil Hlinka; Lei R. Cao

doi:10.1117/12.2635657

4 October 2022 Longevity evaluation of SiC based alpha voltaic batteries with surface alpha sources

Daryl Giglio, Sha Xue, Katie Hoffman, Praneeth Kandlakunta, Henry Spitz, Vasil Hlinka, Lei R. Cao

Proceedings Volume 12241, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XXIV; 122410I (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2635657
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2022, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The alpha emitting actinide ²⁴¹Am is electrodeposited on the surface of the Pt electrode of in-house fabricated SiC Schottky diodes. With 17 nCi ²⁴¹Am directly coated on the top of a device, the 2-pi geometry yields a high energy (5.486 MeV) and a long-term irradiation accumulating to a high fluence (1.6 × 10⁹ alpha particles’ infusion/month). The forward, reverse I/V, and dark current, are periodically measured to monitor key characteristics of device durability for any sign of degradation over time. The direct deposition of actinides on the surface of the device also enables the evaluation of radiation damage through alpha particles’ energy spectroscopic performance, which shows a clear spectrum degradation that can be reversed by optical excitation of the device prior to spectrum acquisition. As an analytical aide, the device performance is also simulated by Allpix² . This study provides an insight into the durability of 4H-SiC as an energy converter option for alpha-voltaic batteries and the survivability in the other harsh environment found in nuclear fuel cycle, high energy physics, fission, fusion, and space exploration where rad-hard sensors are required.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Daryl Giglio, Sha Xue, Katie Hoffman, Praneeth Kandlakunta, Henry Spitz, Vasil Hlinka, and Lei R. Cao "Longevity evaluation of SiC based alpha voltaic batteries with surface alpha sources", Proc. SPIE 12241, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XXIV, 122410I (4 October 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2635657

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