High-energy electron, proton, neutron, photon and ion irradiation of semiconductor diodes and solar cells has long been a topic of considerable interest in the field of semiconductor device fabrication. The inevitable damage production during the process of irradiation is used to study and engineer the defects in semiconductors. In a strong radiation environment in space, the electrical performance of solar cells is degraded due to direct exposure to energetically charged particles. A considerable amount of work has been reported on the study of radiation damage in various solar cell materials and devices in the recent past. In most cases, high-energy heavy ions damage the material by producing a large amount of extended defects, but high-energy light ions are suitable for producing and modifying the intrinsic point defects. The defects can play a variety of electronically active roles that affect the electrical, structural and optical properties of a semiconductor. This review article aims to present an overview of the advancement of research in the modification of glassy semiconducting thin films using different types of radiations (light, proton and swift heavy ions). The work which has been done in our laboratory related to irradiation induced effects in semiconducting thin films will also be compared with the existing literature.
A Measurement of the Average Energy Required to Create an Ion Pair in Nitrogen by High-Energy Ions