Silicon devices for low-energy X-ray detection: Comparison between the charge-coupled device and the semiconductor drift chamber

Abstract

The present work summarises the performance of two silicon devices, a fully depleted charge-coupled device and a semiconductor drift chamber, as X-ray fluorescence detectors at low excitation energy (2–10 keV). The definition of the requirements of the detection system in typical X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) experiments is discussed. The main topic of the work is the analysis of the charge (energy) resolution and maximum interaction rate when using state-of-the-art external front-end electronics and when at least the first transistor of the preamplifier is integrated on the detector wafer. A comparison study between the charge-coupled device and the semiconductor drift chamber, both in the case of a “classical” and a multi-linear architecture, has been conducted. The experimental results obtained with both devices demonstrate the possibility of excellent performance in XAFS experiments carried out in synchrotron radiation facilities.