Global View on Dose Rate Effects in Silica-Based Fibers and Devices Damaged by Radiation-Induced Carrier Trapping

We give a novel and very general treatment to a standard model describing dose rate effects in systems damaged by carrier trapping. This model is well adapted for optical fibers, but the lessons we draw may also be helpful to discuss dose rate effects (DRE) in electronic devices. By highlighting the few determinant ratios of physical parameters that govern the system behavior, we clarify when, how and how much dose rate effects affect trap filling and radiation-induced degradation. Critical dose rate, marking the demarcation between low and high dose rate regimes, is also estimated as a function of these parameters. Taking this step back is important to enlighten contradictory results reported on DRE behaviors. The dose and dose rate dependencies of trap filling measured on silica optical fibers, as well as the critical dose rate, are successfully reproduced with a single set of a few adjustable physical parameters.