A comparison between the response of compound semiconductor detectors in single and back-to-back configuration

Abstract

CdTe detectors (3 × 5 mm 2 electrode area and 1 mm thick), mounted in a back-to-back configuration with common anode, have been characterized, aiming at determining the actual regions of these devices giving the best and almost constant spectroscopic performance. This configuration ensures that the maximum paths of the charge carriers correspond to the inter-electrode distances and consequently the spectroscopic performance is essentially the same as for the single coupled detectors, but allows one: • to double the useful absorbing thickness when irradiated in the classical planar parallel field geometry; • to double the pixel area when irradiated in the planar transverse field (PTF) geometry, while the absorbing thickness can be freely adjusted according to the experimental requirements. The tests were performed in PTF geometry by using well collimated photon beams (10–300 keV energy range) obtained by a 20 mm thick tungsten collimator having a 0.1 × 1 or a 0.3 × 1 mm 2 collimating channel. Experimental results concerning the spectroscopic behaviour of the coupled detectors have been compared with those obtained by single devices having the same thickness as the single components or the same total thickness as the coupled device. The results show that the back-to-back configuration does not introduce further significant noise with respect to 1 mm thick single detectors and their spectroscopic performance is similar or better than the one shown by 2 mm thick single devices for fine and wide collimator measurements, and mostly in the uncollimated case.