Simulation of the current induced by 63Ni beta radiation

The current generated by radiation from a ⁶³Ni layer of variable thickness is simulated with the actual spectrum of emitted electrons and with their distribution over the angles for Si and SiC taken into account. The dependences of the generation rate for nonequilibrium charge carriers on the depth are obtained for the cases of several Ni film thicknesses for both materials. The results are compared with the simulation results for a monoenergetic electron beam that is perpendicular to a semiconductor detector. It is shown that, for both Si and SiC, it is possible to choose an energy value of the electron beam in a SEM such that the ratio of the currents induced by the SEM beam and beta radiation from ⁶³Ni is essentially independent of the diffusion length.