0000000000084209
AUTHOR
G. Benassi
showing 15 related works from this author
Mechanically stable metal layers for ohmic and blocking contacts on CdZnTe detectors by electroless deposition
2015
CdZnTe detectors are commonly exploited for the detection of gamma rays. However, obtaining mechanical stable, low noise contacts on CdZnTe is still an issue. In particular, ohmic contacts would be preferable for high flux applications. In this work, we show that it is possible to obtain mechanical stable gold contacts by electroless deposition in methanol solution. Moreover, we show that electroless deposited nickel contacts are also mechanical stable and are good candidates for the realization of ohmic contacts on high resistivity CdZnTe crystals.
Development of a 3D CZT Spectrometer System with Digital Readout for Hard X/Gamma-Ray Astronomy
2019
We report on the development and of a complete X/γ rays detection system (10-1000 keV) based on CZT spectrometers with spatial resolution in three dimensions (3D) and a digital electronics acquisition chain. The prototype is made by packing four linear modules, each composed of one 3D CZT sensors. Each sensors is realized using a single spectroscopic graded CZT crystal of about 20×20×5 mm3. An electrode structure consisting of 12 collecting anodes with a pitch of 1.6 mm and 3 drift strips between each pair of anodes for 48 strips (0.15 mm wide) on the anodic side was adopted. The cathode is made of 10 strips with a pitch of 2 mm and orthogonal to anode side strips. Since the reading of the …
Charge loss correction in CZT pixel detectors at low and high fluxes: analysis of positive and negative pulses
2018
Charge losses are typical drawbacks in cadmium–zinc–telluride (CZT) pixel detectors. The effects of these phenomena are strongly related to the interaction point of the photons and are more severe for photon interactions at the inter-pixel gap and near the pixelated anode. In this work, we present some original techniques able to correct charge losses in pixelated CZT detectors at both low and high fluxes. The height, the shape and the arrival time of collected- and induced-charge pulses with both positive and negative polarities are analysed to recover charge losses after the application of charge sharing addition (CSA). Sub-millimetre CZT pixel detectors, fabricated by different manufactu…
High Bias Voltage CZT Detectors for High-flux Measurements
2017
In this work, we present the performance of new travelling heater method (THM) grown CZT detectors, recently developed at IMEM-CNR Parma, Italy. Thick planar detectors (3 mm thick) with gold electroless contacts on CZT crystals grown by Redlen Technologies (Victoria BC, Canada) were realized, with a planar cathode covering the detector surface (4.1 x 4.1 mm(2)) and a central anode (2 x 2 mm(2)) surrounded by a guard ring electrode. The detectors, characterized by low leakage currents at room temperature (4.7 nA/cm(2) at 1000 V/cm), allow good room temperature operation even at high bias voltages (> 7000 V/cm). At low rates, the detectors exhibit an energy resolution around 4 % FWIEM at 59.5…
Digital CZT detector system for high flux energy-resolved X-ray imaging
2017
Photon counting arrays with energy resolving capabilities are recently desired for the next-generation X-ray imaging systems. In this work, we present the performance of a 2 mm thick CZT pixel detector, with pixel pitches of 500 mu m and 250 mu m, coupled to a fast and low noise ASIC (PIXIE ASIC), characterized by only the preamplifier stage. A 16-channel digital readout electronics was used to continuously digitize and process each output channel from the PIXIE ASIC, performing multi-parameter analysis (event arrival time, pulse shape, pulse height) at low and high input counting rates (ICRs). The spectroscopic response of the system to monochromatic X-ray and gamma ray sources, at both lo…
Development of new CdZnTe detectors for room-temperature high-flux radiation measurements
2017
Recently, CdZnTe (CZT) detectors have been widely proposed and developed for room-temperature X-ray spectroscopy even at high fluxes, and great efforts have been made on both the device and the crystal growth technologies. In this work, the performance of new travelling-heater-method (THM)-grown CZT detectors, recently developed at IMEM-CNR Parma, Italy, is presented. Thick planar detectors (3 mm thick) with gold electroless contacts were realised, with a planar cathode covering the detector surface (4.1 mm × 4.1 mm) and a central anode (2 mm × 2 mm) surrounded by a guard-ring electrode. The detectors, characterized by low leakage currents at room temperature (4.7 nA cm−2 at 1000 V cm−1), a…
Dual-polarity pulse processing and analysis for charge-loss correction in cadmium–zinc–telluride pixel detectors
2018
Charge losses at the inter-pixel gap are typical drawbacks in cadmium–zinc–telluride (CZT) pixel detectors. In this work, an original technique able to correct charge losses occurring after the application of charge-sharing addition (CSA) is presented. The method, exploiting the strong relation between the energy after CSA and the beam position at the inter-pixel gap, allows the recovery of charge losses and improvements in energy resolution. Sub-millimetre CZT pixel detectors were investigated with both uncollimated radiation sources and collimated synchrotron X-rays, at energies below and above the K-shell absorption energy of the CZT material. The detectors are DC coupled to fast and low…
A CZT 3D imaging spectrometer prototype with digital readout for high energy astronomy
2023
The scientific challenges still open in hard X-rays and γ-rays astronomy require the development of new instrumentation able to overcome the sensitivity limits of the present one. Among the technologies currently under study to cover the energy range between several tens of keV and one MeV, the development of telescopes equipped with broadband Laue lenses associated with focal planes with high spectroscopic and imaging performance represents an extremely promising solution. With this perspective, we report on the development and the first spectroscopic characterisation results of an X/γ rays detection system (10-1000 keV) based on CZT spectrometers with spatial resolution in three dimension…
Electrical properties of Au/CdZnTe/Au detectors grown by the boron oxide encapsulated Vertical Bridgman technique
2016
Abstract In this work we report on the results of electrical characterization of new CdZnTe detectors grown by the Boron oxide encapsulated Vertical Bridgman technique (B-VB), currently produced at IMEM-CNR (Parma, Italy). The detectors, with gold electroless contacts, have different thicknesses (1 and 2.5 mm) and the same electrode layout, characterized by a central anode surrounded by a guard-ring electrode. Investigations on the charge transport mechanisms and the electrical contact properties, through the modeling of the measured current–voltage ( I – V ) curves, were performed. Generally, the detectors are characterized by low leakage currents at high bias voltages even at room tempera…
Charge carrier transport mechanisms in CdZnTe detectors grown by the vertical Bridgman technique
2016
In this work, we report on the results of electrical characterization of CdZnTe (CZT) detectors, with gold electroless contacts, grown by the boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman technique (B-VB), currently produced at IMEM-CNR (Parma, Italy). The detectors, with different thicknesses (1 and 2.5 mm), have the same electrode layout: the anode is a central electrode (2 x 2 mm(2)) surrounded by a guard ring electrode. The cathode is a planar electrode covering the detector surface (4.1 x 4.1 mm(2)). Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics were measured at different temperatures in order to study the charge transport and the electrical properties. These detectors were compared with the trav…
Spectroscopic response and charge transport properties of CdZnTe detectors grown by the vertical Bridgman technique
2015
In this work, we present the results of spectroscopic investigations on CdZnTe (CZT) detectors grown by the boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman technique (1MEM-CNR, Parma, Italy). The detectors, with different thicknesses (1 and 2.5 mm), are characterized by the same electrode layout (gold electroless contacts): the anode is a central electrode (2 x 2 mm(2)) surrounded by a guard-ring electrode, while the cathode is a planar electrode covering the detector surface (4.1 x 4.1 mm(2)). The results of electrical investigations point out the low leakage currents of these detectors even at high bias voltages: 38 nA/cm(2) (T = 25 degrees C) at 10000 V/cm. The time stability and the spectros…
High performance 3D CZT spectro-imager for BNCT-SPECT: preliminary characterization
2018
The National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) is supporting the 3CaTS project with the aim of developing a new Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) system for real time 10 B therapeutic dose monitoring in the binary experimental hadron therapy called Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). BNCT is a highly selective tumour treatment based on the neutron capture reaction 10 B(n,α) 7 Li. The secondary particles have a high LET with ranges in tissues of the order of 10 μm (thus less than the mean cell diameter of few tens μm). Targeting the 10 B delivery towards cancer, the released energy lethally damages only the malignant cells sparing the normal tissues, thus enabling a cell…
X-ray response of CdZnTe detectors grown by the vertical Bridgman technique: Energy, temperature and high flux effects
2016
Abstract Nowadays, CdZnTe (CZT) is one of the key materials for the development of room temperature X-ray and gamma ray detectors and great efforts have been made on both the device and the crystal growth technologies. In this work, we present the results of spectroscopic investigations on new boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman (B-VB) grown CZT detectors, recently developed at IMEM-CNR Parma, Italy. Several detectors, with the same electrode layout (gold electroless contacts) and different thicknesses (1 and 2.5 mm), were realized: the cathode is a planar electrode covering the detector surface (4.1×4.1 mm2), while the anode is a central electrode (2×2 mm2) surrounded by a guard-rin…
Microscale X-ray mapping of CZT arrays: Spatial dependence of amplitude, shape and multiplicity of detector pulses
2018
In this work, we present the results of a microscale X-ray mapping of a 2 mm thick CZT pixel detector, with pixel pitches of 500 μm and 250 μm, using collimated synchrotron X-ray sources at the Diamond Light source (U. K.). The detector is dc coupled to a fast and low noise ASIC (PIXIE ASIC), characterized only by the preamplifier stage. A custom 16-channel digital readout electronics was used, able to perform online fast pulse shape and height analysis (PSHA), with low dead time and reasonable energy resolution at both low and high fluxes. The detector allows high bias voltage operation (> 5000 V/cm) and good energy resolution at room temperature (5.3 %, 2.3 % and 2.1 % FWHM at 22.1, 59…
Digital fast pulse shape and height analysis on cadmium-zinc-telluride arrays for high-flux energy-resolved X-ray imaging.
2017
Cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) arrays with photon-counting and energy-resolving capabilities are widely proposed for next-generation X-ray imaging systems. This work presents the performance of a 2â...mm-thick CZT pixel detector, with pixel pitches of 500 and 250â...μm, dc coupled to a fast and low-noise ASIC (PIXIE ASIC), characterized only by the preamplifier stage. A custom 16-channel digital readout electronics was used, able to digitize and process continuously the signals from each output ASIC channel. The digital system performs on-line fast pulse shape and height analysis, with a low dead-time and reasonable energy resolution at both low and high fluxes. The spectroscopic response …