Zhao, S, Lioliou, G and Barnett, A M (2018) X-ray spectrometer with a low-cost SiC photodiode. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 887. pp. 138-143. ISSN 0168-9002

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Abstract

A low-cost Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) 4H-SiC 0.06 mm2 UV p-n photodiode was coupled to a low-noise charge-sensitive preamplifier and used as photon counting X-ray spectrometer. The photodiode/spectrometer was investigated at X-ray energies from 4.95 keV to 21.17 keV: a Mo cathode X-ray tube was used to fluoresce eight high-purity metal foils to produce characteristic X-ray emission lines which were used to characterise the instrument. The energy resolution (full width at half maximum, FWHM ) of the spectrometer was found to be 1.6 keV to 1.8 keV, across the energy range. The energy linearity of the detector/spectrometer (i.e. the detector’s charge output per photon as a function of incident photon energy across the 4.95 keV to 21.17 keV energy range), as well as the count rate linearity of the detector/spectrometer (i.e. number of detected photons as a function of photon fluence at a specific energy) were investigated. The energy linearity of the detector/spectrometer was linear with an error <± 0.7 %; the count rate linearity of the detector/spectrometer was linear with an error <± 2 %. The use of COTS SiC photodiodes as detectors for X-ray spectrometers is attractive for nanosatellite/CubeSat applications (including solar flare monitoring), and for cost sensitive industrial uses.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	X-ray detector; Photodiode; Silicon carbide; COTS; Energy response
Schools and Departments:	School of Engineering and Informatics > Engineering and Design
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics
Depositing User:	Shifan Zhao
Date Deposited:	29 Jan 2018 11:57
Last Modified:	07 Feb 2018 12:34
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/71790

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