Stabilization of Lithium-Drifted Radiation Detectors

Ion-pairing occurs in silicon between lithium and acceptor impurities and causes a reduction in the effective diffusivity and driftmobility of lithium. This effect has been studied experimentally with different acceptor impurities. It appears that the suitable choice of an acceptor may, under certain conditions, result in at least an order of magnitude reduction. This is of interest in comnection with lithium-drifted gamma detectors where a constant active volume must be maintained over long periods.