CdTe drift detectors RESUBMISSION

In this project we will design and characterise prototype CdTe drift detectors for high resolution hard X-ray spectroscopy. The project will carry out Knowledge Exchange with e2v Ltd based on the University of Surrey's expertise in high-Z detector design, modelling and fabrication, which will be used to develop prototype X-ray spectroscopy detectors optimised for e2v's range of electron microscopy and XRF instruments. The silicon drift detector(SDD) is now the detector of choice for high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, in applications such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray telescopes, and synchrotron science. The original motivation for drift detector development was from particle physics laboratories such as CERN, where large area position sensitive drift detectors have been used in several heavy ion experiments. More recently the performance and reliability of SDDs as single element X-ray spectroscopy detectors has been proven by various companies, in which Peltier-cooled SDDs with integrated FET readout have achieved Fano-limited energy resolution (eg. as low as 140 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV, equivalent to 2.4% FWHM). In this project we aim to combine the high detection efficiency of CdTe with the excellent resolution of drift detectors by developing CdTe drift detectors as spectrometers for hard X-ray spectroscopy in the energy range 20 - 100 keV. .