Measurement of X-ray spectrum using a small size CdTe multichannel detector

A multichannel detector was fabricated with 32 elements, each 1 mm wide*0.25 mm long*0.3 mm thick, on a single CdTe crystal wafer whose overall size was 1*8*0.3 mm. One of the elements was subjected to an energy analysis using diagnostic wavelength X-rays. It is noted that the energy spectrum was distorted because of the small size of the element. Errors caused by X-ray escape and by the energy dependency of the photoelectric absorption process were appreciable; however, these errors are specific to narrow energy ranges and can be corrected. The response function of the detector to monochromatic 59.54 keV /sup 241/Am gamma-rays was measured and, by fitting the results to a calibration curve, this small-size CdTe detector was able to detect X-ray spectra reliably.<
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