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Cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) offer great promise as x-ray and gamma ray detectors. Due to the high detection efficiency, the good room temperature performance and the recent improvements on crystal growth technology, CdTe and CdZnTe detectors have obtained an increasing interest in the field of hard x-ray and gamma ray astronomy. In this paper, we report on the R&D activities on CdTe and CdZnTe detectors for high energy space instrumentation. Our group has been involved in the design of new multilayer hard x and soft gamma ray Laue lens telescopes and, in particular on the development of focal plane detectors based on CdTe and CdZnTe. Here we present the activities carried out on these detectors for the evaluation of imaging, spectroscopy and polarimetry performances in the hard X and soft gamma ray energy range.

This paper describes a portable apparatus to be utilized in mammographic X-ray spectroscopy under clinical conditions. The system, based on a CdTe solid-state detector, is able to directly measure mammographic X-ray tube spectra. Good system response to monoenergetic photons was measured using X-ray and γ-ray calibration sources (109Cd and 241Am). The measured molybdenum X-ray spectra, in agreement with simulated spectra, show the good spectral capability of the system also at high photon fluence rates, as typical of clinical mammography. Low tailing, no secondary X-ray escape and low pile-up distortions in the measured spectra indicate that this portable system is suitable for mammographic X-ray spectroscopy. © Società Italiana di Fisica.

The spectroscopic and imaging performance of energy-resolved photon counting detectors, based on new sub-millimetre boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman cadmium zinc telluride linear arrays, are presented in this work. The activities are in the framework of the AVATAR X project, planning the development of X-ray scanners for contaminant detection in food industry. The detectors, characterized by high spatial (250 µm) and energy (

In this paper we present the development of quasi-hemispherical gamma-ray detectors based on CdZnTe. Among the possible single-polarity electrode configurations, such as coplanar, pixelated, or virtual Frisch-grid geometries, quasi-hemispherical detectors are the most cost-effective alternative with comparable raw energy resolution in the high and low energy range. The optimal configuration of the sensor in terms of dimension of the crystals and electrode specifications has been first determined by simulations, and successively validated with experimental measures. Spectra from different sources have been acquired to evaluate the detectors performances. Three types of detectors with different CZT volumes have been fabricated, namely 10 × 10 × 5 mm3, 15 × 15 × 10 mm3 and 20 × 20 × 10 mm3. In the case of 10 × 10 × 5 mm3 crystals, the optimum pixel size determined by our simulation tool was confirmed by experiments: the best spectroscopic resolution of 1.3% at 662 keV has been found for a 750 μm diameter pixel detector. The best energy resolution values obtained for the 15 × 15 × 10 mm3 and 20 × 20 × 10 mm3 detectors were respectively 1.7% and 2.7% at 662 keV.

Intense research activities have been made in the development of high-Z and wide-bandgap compound semiconductor pixel detectors for the next generation X-ray and gamma ray spectroscopic imagers. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium-zinc-telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) pixel detectors have shown impressive performance in X-ray and gamma ray detection from energies of few keV up to 1 MeV. Charge sharing and cross-talk phenomena represent the typical drawbacks in sub-millimeter pixel detectors, with severe distortions in both energy and spatial resolution. In this chapter, we review the effects of these phenomena on the response of CZT/CdTe pixel detectors, with particular emphasis on the current state of the art of the discrimination/correction techniques. The results from original energy-recovery procedures of multiple charge sharing events, recently developed by our group, are also shown.

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 dimensions (3D) and a digital acquisition electronic chain suitable to build high-performance focal planes. The final prototype will be made by packing four sensors. Each sensor is realised using a single spectroscopic grade CZT crystal with dimensions of ∼20×20×6 mm3, on which the anode strips are realised orthogonally to the cathode ones. The anode structure consists of 12 collecting anodes with a pitch of 1.6 mm and three drift strips between each pair of anodes, while the cathode side is segmented into ten strips with a pitch of 2 mm, orthogonal to anode side strips. The detector front-end electronics is based on custom-designed low noise charge sensitive preamplifiers (CSP). The CZT sensor induces the charge pulses on the electrodes, then they are read by a multichannel Digital Pulse Processing system based on FPGA through its readout front-end. The results obtained with both standard spectroscopic chains and the analysis of digitised pre-amplified signals confirm the expected performances in terms of spectroscopy (

Platinum is a promising candidate for the realization of blocking electrical contacts on cadmium-zinc-telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) radiation detectors. However, the poor mechanical adhesion of this metal often shortens the lifetime of the final device. In this work, a simple and effective procedure to obtain robust platinum contacts by electroless deposition is presented. Microscopical analysis revealed the final thickness and composition of the contact layer and its adhesion to the bulk crystal. The blocking nature of the Pt-CdZnTe junction, essential to obtain low noise devices, was confirmed by current–voltage measurements. The planar Pt-CdZnTe-Pt detectors showed good room temperature spectroscopic performance with energy resolution of 4% (2.4 keV) and 3% (3.7 keV) FWHM at 59.5 and 122.1 keV, respectively. Finally, we showed, for the first time, that platinum contacts allow the estimation of the carrier lifetime and mobility of both holes and electrons by using current transient measurements. This demonstrated the optimal hole extraction capability of such contacts.

High-flux X-ray measurements with high-energy resolution and high throughput require the mitigation of pile-up and dead time effects. The reduction of the time width of the shaped pulses is a key approach, taking into account the distortions from the ballistic deficit, non-linearity, and time instabilities. In this work, we will present the performance of cadmium–zinc–telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) pixel detectors equipped with digital shapers faster than the preamplifier peaking times (ballistic deficit pulse processing). The effects on energy resolution, throughput, energy-linearity, time stability, charge sharing, and pile-up are shown. The results highlight the absence of time instabilities and high-energy resolution (

The success of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors in room-temperature spectroscopic X-ray imaging is now widely accepted. The most common CZT detectors are characterized by enhanced-charge transport properties of electrons, with mobility-lifetime products μeτe > 10−2 cm2/V and μhτh > 10−5 cm2/V. These materials, typically termed low-flux LF-CZT, are successfully used for thick electron-sensing detectors and in low-flux conditions. Recently, new CZT materials with hole mobility-lifetime product enhancements (μhτh > 10−4 cm2/V and μeτe > 10−3 cm2/V) have been fabricated for high-flux measurements (high-flux HF-CZT detectors). In this work, we will present the performance and charge-sharing properties of sub-millimeter CZT pixel detectors based on LF-CZT and HF-CZT crystals. Experimental results from the measurement of energy spectra after charge-sharing addition (CSA) and from 2D X-ray mapping highlight the better charge-collection properties of HF-CZT detectors near the inter-pixel gaps. The successful mitigation of the effects of incomplete charge collection after CSA was also performed through original charge-sharing correction techniques. These activities exist in the framework of international collaboration on the development of energy-resolved X-ray scanners for medical applications and non-destructive testing in the food industry.

Recently, new high-resolution cadmium–zinc–telluride (CZT) drift strip detectors for room temperature gamma-ray spectroscopic imaging were developed by our group. The CZT detectors equipped with orthogonal anode/cathode collecting strips, drift strips and dedicated pulse processing allow a detection area of 6 × 20 mm2 and excellent room temperature spectroscopic performance (0.82% FWHM at 661.7 keV). In this work, we investigated the potentialities of these detectors for prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy (PGS) in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The detectors, exploiting the measurement of the 478 keV prompt gamma rays emitted by 94% 7Li nuclides from the 10B(n, α)7Li reaction, are very appealing for the development of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems and Compton cameras in BNCT. High-resolution gamma-ray spectra from 10B samples under thermal neutrons were measured at the T.R.I.G.A. Mark II research nuclear reactor of the University of Pavia (Italy).

Radiation detectors based on Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) compounds are becoming popular solutions thanks to their high detection efficiency, room temperature operation, and to their reliability in compact detection systems for medical, astrophysical, or industrial applications. However, despite a huge effort to improve the technological process, CZT detectors’ full potential has not been completely exploited when both high spatial and energy resolution are required by the application, especially at low energies (

Spectroscopic imagers based on high-Z and wide-bandgap compound semiconductor detectors are widely proposed for the detection of prompt gamma rays in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). BNCT is a therapy based on the neutron capture reaction 10B (n,α)7Li. To perform a real-time monitoring of the spatial distribution of 10B during the treatments, the detection of the prompt gamma rays (478 keV), produced by the 7Li recoil nuclei, can be helpful. In this work, we presented the potentialities of new high-resolution CZT drift strip detectors, recently developed by our group, for BNCT measurements. The detectors, exploiting the analysis of the collected-induced charge pulses from anodes, cathodes and drift strips, show excellent energy resolution < 1% at 662 keV at room temperature. The results of preliminary gamma ray measurements under thermal neutrons at the T.R.I.G.A. Mark II research nuclear reactor of Pavia University (Italy) are shown.

CdTe/CZT is an attractive and consolidated material with which to realize detectors with good efficiency and energy resolution, operating at room temperature and suitable for a large variety of applications such as medical imaging, nuclear security, and astrophysics. Right in this last field several spectro-imagers based on these CdTe/CZT detectors were mounted onboard space missions such as INTEGRAL, Swift, and NuSTAR for hard X and gamma-ray astrophysics. Much effort has been expended in the development of CZT spectroscopic imagers for obtaining sub-millimeter spatial resolution in three dimensions (3D) and high energy resolution up to 1 MeV. The motivations are mainly related to the possibility to perform simultaneous measurements of energy, timing, and 3D positioning of X and gamma rays. This kind of 3D detector is particularly suitable to realize scattering polarimeters and Advanced Compton detectors. In this paper, we present the performance of high-resolution CZT drift strip detectors, recently realized at IMEM-CNR (Parma, Italy) in collaboration with due2lab company (Scandiano, Italy). The detectors are operated in the Planar Transverse Field (PTF) configuration, in which photons hit the detector orthogonally to the direction of the electric field established between the two electrodes, as well as in the standard configuration. They are able to determine the 2D position thanks to the strips deposited on electrodes orthogonally, while the third coordinate is derived from the Cathode/Anode ratio and/or drift time. We report the experimental results in terms of energy resolution, peak-to-valley ratio, threshold, and gain, as well as charge collection efficiency for 2 different samples and several energies of calibration. We also report the results obtained by using a novel correction technique based on the analysis of collected-induced charge pulses from anode and drift strips.

L- α -alanine has aroused considerable interest for use in radiation EPR dosimetry and has been formally accepted as a secondary standard for high-dose (kGy) and transfer dosimetry of high-energy photons and electrons. In this work, we extended the investigation of the energy response of alanine EPR films in the low energy range for X-photons (1–30 keV). Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) measurements were performed on Kodak BioMax alanine films exposed to low-energy X-rays from a Cu-, W- and Mo-targets tube operating at voltages up to 30 kV. Films were chosen because of the low penetration of the soft X-rays used. The response of alanine to low-energy X-rays was characterized experimentally and the relative response (with respect to high energy photons) was found to be between 0.8 and 0.9 for Cu- and W-tube X-rays, and 1.0 for Mo-tube X-rays. The attenuation profiles were investigated and it was found that 1 mm of film material reduces the intensity of the X-ray-beam by about 70%, 50% and 40% for Cu-, W- and Mo-tube X-rays, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to model the energy release as well as the depth dose profiles for the various radiation beams used. These data are considered relevant for dosimetric applications in low energy beams such the high-gradient treatment fields used in monoenergetic microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) with synchrotron radiation as well as in brachytherapy with low energy sources, for instance 169Yb.

Multiple coincidence events from charge-sharing and fluorescent cross-talk are typical drawbacks in room-temperature semiconductor pixel detectors. The mitigation of these distortions in the measured energy spectra, using charge-sharing discrimination (CSD) and charge-sharing addition (CSA) techniques, is always a trade-off between counting efficiency and energy resolution. The energy recovery of multiple coincidence events is still challenging due to the presence of charge losses after CSA. In this work, we will present original techniques able to correct charge losses after CSA even when multiple pixels are involved. Sub-millimeter cadmium–zinc–telluride (CdZnTe or 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. These activities are in the framework of an international collaboration on the development of energy-resolved photon counting (ERPC) systems for spectroscopic X-ray imaging up to 150 keV.

In the last two decades, great efforts have been made in the development of 3D cadmium–zinc–telluride (CZT) detectors operating at room temperature for gamma-ray spectroscopic imaging. This work presents the spectroscopic performance of new high-resolution CZT drift strip detectors, recently developed at IMEM-CNR of Parma (Italy) in collaboration with due2lab (Italy). The detectors (19.4 mm × 19.4 mm × 6 mm) are organized into collecting anode strips (pitch of 1.6 mm) and drift strips (pitch of 0.4 mm) which are negatively biased to optimize electron charge collection. The cathode is divided into strips orthogonal to the anode strips with a pitch of 2 mm. Dedicated pulse processing analysis was performed on a wide range of collected and induced charge pulse shapes using custom 32-channel digital readout electronics. Excellent room-temperature energy resolution (1.3% FWHM at 662 keV) was achieved using the detectors without any spectral corrections. Further improvements (0.8% FWHM at 662 keV) were also obtained through a novel correction technique based on the analysis of collected-induced charge pulses from anode and drift strips. These activities are in the framework of two Italian research projects on the development of spectroscopic gamma-ray imagers (10–1000 keV) for astrophysical and medical applications.

In this work, the spectroscopic performances of new cadmium–zinc–telluride (CZT) pixel detectors recently developed at IMEM-CNR of Parma (Italy) are presented. Sub-millimetre arrays with pixel pitch less than 500 µm, based on boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman grown CZT crystals, were fabricated. Excellent room-temperature performance characterizes the detectors even at high-bias-voltage operation (9000 V cm−1), with energy resolutions (FWHM) of 4% (0.9 keV), 1.7% (1 keV) and 1.3% (1.6 keV) at 22.1, 59.5 and 122.1 keV, respectively. Charge-sharing investigations were performed with both uncollimated and collimated synchrotron X-ray beams with particular attention to the mitigation of the charge losses at the inter-pixel gap region. High-rate measurements demonstrated the absence of high-flux radiation-induced polarization phenomena up to 2 × 106 photons mm−2 s−1. These activities are in the framework of an international collaboration on the development of energy-resolved photon-counting systems for high-flux energy-resolved X-ray imaging.

Intense research activities have been carry out in the development of room temperature gamma ray spectroscopic imagers, aiming to compete with the excellent energy resolution of high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors (0.3 % FWHM at 662 keV) obtained after cryogenic cooling. Cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) detectors equipped with pixel, strip and virtual Frisch-grid electrode structures represented an appealing solution for room temperature measurements. In this work, we present the performance of new high-resolution CZT drift strip detectors (19.4 x 19.4 x 6 mm3), recently fabricated at IMEM-CNR of Parma (Italy) in collaboration with due2lab company (Reggio Emilia, Italy). The detectors, working in planar transverse field (PTF) irradiation geometry, are able to perform 3D positioning and energy measurement of X rays and gamma rays: 2D positioning through cross-strip electrode patterns on the cathode/anode electrodes and the third coordinate by exploiting the C/A ratio and/or the drift time. A 32-channel digital electronics was used to process and analyze the zoo of collected/induced charge pulses from the strips. Excellent room temperature energy resolution (0.9 % FWHM at 662 keV) characterizes the detectors, after the application of a new correction technique. These activities follow the goals of two Italian research projects (3DCaTM and 3CaTS projects funded by ASI and INFN, respectively) on the development of spectroscopic X-ray and gamma ray imagers (10 keV-1 MeV) for medical and astrophysical applications.

High temperature reverse-bias (HTRB), High temperature gate-bias (HTGB) tests and electrical DC characterization were performed on planar-SiC power MOSFETs which survived to accelerated neutron irradiation tests carried out at ChipIr-ISIS (Didcot, UK) facility, with terrestrial neutrons. The neutron test campaigns on the SiC power MOSFETs (manufactered by ST) were conducted on the same wafer lot devices by STMicroelectronics and Airbus, with different neutron tester systems. HTGB and HTRB tests, which characterise gate-oxide integrity and junction robustness, show no difference between the non irradiated devices and those which survived to the neutron irradiation tests, with neutron fluence up to 2× 1011 (n/cm2). Electrical characterization performed pre and post-irradiation on different part number of power devices (Si, SiC MOSFETs and IGBTs) which survived to neutron irradiation tests does not show alteration of the data-sheet electrical parameters due to neutron interaction with the device.

Al/CdTe/Pt detectors are very attractive devices for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy, even though they suffer from polarization phenomena, which cause a progressive time degradation of the spectroscopic performance. In this work we investigated on the time dependence of the electric field of an Al/CdTe/Pt detector under optical perturbation by means of Pockels effect measurements. A tunable laser with wavelengths ranging within 700−1000 nm and a 940 nm light emitting diode (LED) were used. The measurements of both the electric field profile and the total current were used to better understand the effects of the optical perturbation on polarization phenomena. The results point out as the above band-gap light, due to the trapping of photo-generated holes at the anode (the Al/CdTe blocking contact), brings to a reduction of the negative space charge caused by the bias voltage (bias induced polarization) and the LED irradiation (radiation induced polarization). The reduction of the negative space charge ensures a quite stable and uniform electric field distribution, typically termed depolarization. Conversely, optical perturbation with sub-band-gap light enhances the polarization with the formation of two oppositely charged regions within the detector.

Cadmium–zinc–telluride (CZT) pixel detectors represent a consolidated choice for the development of room-temperature spectroscopic X-ray imagers, finding important applications in medical imaging, often as detection modules of a variety of new SPECT and CT systems. Detectors with 3–5 mm thicknesses are able to efficiently detect X-rays up to 140 keV giving reasonable room-temperature energy resolution. In this work, the room-temperature performance of 3 mm-thick CZT pixel detectors, recently developed at IMEM/CNR of Parma (Italy), is presented. Sub-millimetre detector arrays with pixel pitch less than 500 µm were fabricated. The detectors are characterized by good room-temperature performance even at high bias voltage operation (6000 V cm−1), with energy resolutions (FWHM) of 3% (1.8 keV) and 1.6% (2 keV) at 59.5 keV and 122.1 keV, respectively. Charge-sharing investigations were performed with both uncollimated and collimated synchrotron X-ray beams with particular attention to recovering the charge losses at the inter-pixel gap region. High rate measurements demonstrated the absence of high-flux radiation-induced polarization phenomena up to 25 × 106 photons mm−2 s−1.

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 drift strips will carried out by putting in parallel all the strips that occupy the same place with respect to a collecting anode, the channels number for each sensors is only 25. The detector readout front-is based on custom designed low noise charge sensitive pre-amplifiers (CSP) implemented in hybrid 16 channels board. The CZT module and its CSP front-end provide the signals to a multichannel Digital Pulse Processing FPGA based system able to digitize and process continuously the signals. The digital system implement an innovative firmware that allow performing fine time-tagging, online pulse shape and height analysis with good energy resolution.

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-ring electrode. The detectors are characterized by electron mobility-lifetime product (µeτe) values ranging between 0.6 and 1·10−3 cm2/V and by low leakage currents at room temperature and at high bias voltages (38 nA/cm2 at 10000 V/cm). The spectroscopic response of the detectors to monochromatic X-ray and gamma ray sources (109Cd, 241Am and 57Co), at different temperatures and fluxes (up to 1 Mcps), was measured taking into account the mitigation of the effects of incomplete charge collection, pile-up and high flux radiation induced polarization phenomena. A custom-designed digital readout electronics, developed at DiFC of University of Palermo (Italy), able to perform a fine pulse shape and height analysis even at high fluxes, was used. At low rates (200 cps) and at room temperature (T=25 °C), the detectors exhibit an energy resolution FWHM around 4% at 59.5 keV, for comparison an energy resolution of 3% was measured with Al/CdTe/Pt detectors by using the same electronics (A250F/NF charge sensitive preamplifier, Amptek, USA; nominal ENC of 100 electrons RMS). At high rates (750 kcps), energy resolution values of 7% and 9% were measured, with throughputs of 2% and 60% respectively. No radiation polarization phenomena were observed at room temperature up to 1 Mcps (241Am source, 60 keV), while a detector collapse characterizes the samples at T Comparison with two traveling heater method (THM) grown CZT detectors (REDLEN, Canada), fabricated with the same electrode layout, is also presented. These activities are in the framework of an Italian research project on the development of energy-resolved photon counting (ERPC) systems for high flux energy-resolved X-ray imaging.

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 temperature: 34 nA/cm 2 ( T =25 °C) at 10,000 V/cm, making them very attractive for high flux X-ray measurements, where high bias voltage operation is required. The Au/CdZnTe barrier heights of the devices were estimated by using the interfacial layer-thermionic-diffusion (ITD) model in the reverse bias voltage range. Comparisons with CdZnTe detectors, grown by Traveling Heater Method (THM) and characterized by the same electrode layout, deposition technique and resistivity, were also performed.

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-level selective treatment. To properly exploit this selectivity it is mandatory to know the 10 B spatial distribution inside patients body during neutron irradiation. This can be achieved by detecting the 478 keV γ ray emitted in the 94% of 10 B capture reactions by a SPECT system. A 3D CZT drift strip detector with a sensitive volume of 20x20x5 mm 3 was developed, able to perform high-resolution X-ray and γ ray spectroscopic imaging (10-1000 keV). The detector signals are analysed by a custom digital multi-channel electronics, based on two pipelined fast and slow analysis, able to perform multi-parameter analysis and fine temporal coincidences (

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, 59.5 and 122.1 keV, respectively) by using fast pulse shaping with low dead time (300 ns). Charge sharing investigations were performed by using uncollimated and collimated X-ray sources with energies above and below the K-shell absorption energy of the CZT material. Collimated 10 × 10 μm synchrotron X-ray beams were used to study the spatial dependence of the amplitude, the shape and the multiplicity of the detector pulses. Charge losses, after charge sharing addition (CSA), were observed for interactions occurring in the volume of the inter-pixel gap and an original method was proposed to recover these losses and improve the energy resolution.High rate measurements at 550 kcps/pixel were also performed, pointing out the key role of the pulse shape analysis in the detection of both charge sharing and pile-up events.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes to women mortality in the world. Clustered microcalcifications (MCs) in mammograms can be an important early sign of breast cancer, the detection is important to prevent and treat the disease. In this work, we present a novel method for the detection of MCs in mammograms which consists of regions of Interest (ROIs) segmentation, based on a spatial filter that allows the detection of small and large microcalcifications, clustering and classification of MCs by Artificial Neural Network. The system has been tested on a public dataset of digital images and compared with previous approaches. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach could achieve significantly higher FROC curves: our CAD system achieve a cluster-based sensitivity of 70, 80, and 90 % at 0.31, 0.69, and 1.6 FPs/image, respectively.

Al/CdTe/Pt detectors are very attractive devices for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy, even though they suffer from bias-induced time instability (polarization). Polarization phenomena cause a progressive time-degradation of the spectroscopic performance of the detectors, due to hole trapping and detrapping from deep acceptor levels that directly control the electric field distribution. In this work we present experimental investigations on the electric field profile of planar Al/CdTe/Pt detectors by means of Pockels effect measurements. The time/temperature dependence of the electric field was investigated in a long time window (up to 10 h) and the correlation with the reverse current transients was also studied. Two energy levels (0.62 eV and 1.16 eV) of the deep hole traps were measured, in agreement with our previous results obtained through electrical and spectroscopic approaches.