0000000000208903
AUTHOR
John B. Stephen
Development of a 3D CZT Spectrometer System with Digital Readout for Hard X/Gamma-Ray Astronomy
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 …
Investigation on pixellated CZT detectors coupled with a low power readout ASIC
In this work, we investigated on the spectroscopic performances of two pixellated CZT detectors coupled with a custom low noise and low power readout ASIC. The detectors (10 x 10 x 1 mm3 and 10 x 10 x 2 mm3 single crystals) consist of an array of 256 pixels with a geometric pitch of 0.5 mm. The ASIC, fabricated in 0.8 μm BiCMOS technology, is equipped with eight independent channels (preamplifier and shaper) characterized by a dynamic range from 10 keV to 100 keV, low power consumption (0.5 mW/channel) and low noise (150–500 electrons r.m.s.). The spectroscopic results point out the good energy resolution of both detectors at room temperature (5.8 % FWHM at 59.5 keV for the 1 mm thick detec…
Scientific simulations and optimization of the XGIS instrument on board THESEUS
The XGIS (X and Gamma Imaging Spectrometer) is one of the three instruments onboard the THESEUS mission (ESA M5, currently in Phase-A). Thanks to its wide field of view and good imaging capabilities, it will efficiently detect and localize gamma-ray bursts and other transients in the 2-150 keV sky, and also provide spectroscopy up to 10 MeV. Its current design has been optimized by means of scientific simulations based on a Monte Carlo model of the instrument coupled to a state-of-the-art description of the populations of long and short GRBs extending to high redshifts. We describe the optimization process that led to the current design of the XGIS, based on two identical units with partial…
Monte Carlo evaluation of a CZT 3D spectrometer suitable for a Hard X- and soft-γ rays polarimetry balloon borne experiment
Today, the measurement of the polarization status of cosmic sources high-energy' emission, is recognized as a key observational parameter to understand the active production mechanism and its geometry. Therefore, a mandatory requirement for new instrumentations operating in this energ.-y range will be to provide high sensitivity for polarimetric measurements. In this framework, we have presented the concept of a small high-performance imaging spectrometer optimized for polarimetry between 100 and 600 keV suitable for a stratospheric balloon-borne payload and as a pathfinder for a future satellite mission. The detector with 3D spatial resolution is based on a CZT spectrometer in a highly seg…
A deep study of the high–energy transient sky
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Charge Transport Properties in CZT Detectors Grown by the Vertical Bridgman Technique
Great efforts are being presently devoted to the development of CdTe and CdZnTe detectors for a large variety of applications, such as medical, industrial, and space research. We present the spectroscopic properties of some CZT crystals grown by the standard vertical Bridgman method and by the boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman method, which has been recently implemented at IMEM-CNR (Parma, Italy). By this technique the crystal is grown in an open quartz crucible fully encapsulated by a thin layer of liquid boron oxide. This method prevents contact between the crystal and the crucible thereby allowing larger single grains with a lower dislocation density to be obtained. Several mono…
Development of a 3D CZT detector prototype for Laue Lens telescope
We report on the development of a 3D position sensitive prototype suitable as focal plane detector for Laue lens telescope. The basic sensitive unit is a drift strip detector based on a CZT crystal, (similar to 19x8 mm(2) area, 2.4 mm thick), irradiated transversally to the electric field direction. The anode side is segmented in 64 strips, that divide the crystal in 8 independent sensor (pixel), each composed by one collecting strip and 7 (one in common) adjacent drift strips. The drift strips are biased by a voltage divider, whereas the anode strips are held at ground. Furthermore, the cathode is divided in 4 horizontal strips for the reconstruction of the third interaction position coord…