IAEA Experience in the Development and Use of CdTe Gamma Spectrometric Systems for Safeguards Application

The principle non-destructive assay systems used by the Agency in safeguards verification activities are passive techniques, particularly those which use signatures of gamma ray. The reason is that passive techniques are adaptable to the portable equipment of the international inspector. Further development and miniaturization of the portable equipment for nuclear material assay measurements depend strongly on the availability of semi-conductor gamma spectrometric detectors with significantly better resolving power than that of scintillation detectors and which can operate at room temperature. One of the most promising materials for such detectors is CdTe. This paper summarizes recent IAEA experience in the development and use of new semi-conductor spectrometric systems (mainly with CdTe detectors of different origins - USA, France, Czechoslovakia) and their use for nuclear material assay measurements.