Theoretical study of pion damage in A3B5 compounds

A theoretical study of the radiation effects, from the point of view of the non-ionising energy loss and of the concentration of primary defects, in some A3B5 semiconductors, has been performed. These effects have been analysed for charged pions, in the energy range 50 MeV–50 GeV. The investigated materials have been GaAs, InP, GaP, InAs and InSb, and the results have been compared with silicon, as a reference material, keeping into account the peculiarities of the pion–nucleus interaction, and the recoil energy redistribution in the lattice. The results of the calculations have put in evidence the higher radiation resistance of Si, GaP and GaAs in the whole energy range investigated, with respect to the other analysed materials: InP, InAs and InSb, that proved to be of interest from this point of view only in the intermediate energy region.