Patent · US Expired

Gamma-ray detector employing scintillators coupled to semiconductor drift photodetectors

US6521894B1 · kind B1 · utility

24Cited by
6References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 9, 1999
Grant dateFeb 18, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 9, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01T1/2928
  • WIPO fieldEnvironmental technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

Radiation detectors according to one embodiment of the invention are implemented using scintillators combined with a semiconductor drift photodetectors wherein the components are specifically constructed in terms of their geometry, dimensions, and arrangement so that the scintillator decay time and drift time in the photodetector pairs are matched in order to achieve a greater signal-to-noise ratio. The detectors may include electronics for amplification of electrical signals produced by the silicon drift photodetector, the amplification having a shaping time optimized with respect to the decay time of the scintillator and time spread of the signal in the silicon drift photodetector to substantially maximize the ratio of the signal to the electronic noise.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.