2E1 Ar17+ decay and conventional radioactive sources to determine efficiency of semiconductor detectors

TL;DR

This study develops a new method using the 2E1 decay of metastable Ar17+ ions to accurately measure the efficiency of silicon detectors across a broad photon energy range, complementing traditional methods.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach based on 2E1 decay for precise characterization of detector parameters, enhancing accuracy over existing models.

Findings

Accurate efficiency measurements across entire photon energy range.

Effective determination of dead layer and crystal thickness.

Validation of the new method against conventional techniques.

Abstract

Although reliable models may predict the detection efficiency of semiconductor detectors, measurements are needed to check the parameters supplied by the manufacturers namely the thicknesses of dead layer, beryllium window and crystal active area. The efficiency of three silicon detectors has been precisely investigated in their entire photon energy range of detection. In the 0 to a few keV range, we have developed a new method based on the detection of the 2E1 decay of the metastable Ar17+ 2s -> 1s transition. Very good theoretical knowledge of the energetic distribution of the 2E1 decay mode enables precise characterization of the absorbing layers in front of the detectors. In the high-energy range (> 10 keV), the detector crystal thickness plays a major role in the detection efficiency and has been determined using a 241Am source.