Development of a silicon photodiode-based compact gamma spectrometer using a $$\hbox {Gd}_{{3}} \hbox {Ga}_{{3}} \hbox {Al}_{{2}} \hbox {O}_{{12}}$$:Ce,B single crystal scintillator

Abstract

A compact gamma spectrometer was developed by employing an in-house grown single crystal of \(\hbox {Gd}_{{3}} \hbox {Ga}_{{3}} \hbox {Al}_{{2}} \hbox {O}_{{12}}\):Ce,B scintillator optically coupled with a silicon photodiode. The performance of the detector was characterized in detail. The detector setup works with a low bias voltage of 9 V, drawn from a single battery. Power to the electronic components of the entire system is derived from a single universal serial bus port by employing required DC–DC converters. In addition to the low voltage operation, this developed spectrometer is very compact in size compared to the one developed by employing photo-multiplier tubes. The system offers excellent linearity over the gamma energy range of 344–1408 keV and an optimum energy resolution of about 13% at 662 keV.