Characterization of a Large Area Thinned Silicon Microdosimeter for Space and Particle Therapy

The tissue-equivalent proportional counter is the gold standard detector in microdosimetry. The energy deposited in its volume is equal to that of a single cell through the use of low pressure tissue-equivalent gas. To overcome its bulky gas-flow ensemble, high operating voltage and poor spatial resolution, a 20 μm-thick silicon microdosimeter with 9600 micron-sized sensitive volumes has been developed. Presented are the results from its initial characterization including electrical properties and charge collection characteristics obtained using induced charge collection techniques at ANSTO, Australia, and the ESRF, France. In addition, the results from a 290 MeV/u C-12 irradiation at HIMAC, NIRS, Japan, are presented.