Real time digital pulse processing for X-ray and gamma ray semiconductor detectors

Abstract

Digital pulse processing (DPP) systems, based on direct digitizing and processing of detector signals, have recently been favoured over analog electronics, ensuring higher flexibility, stability, lower dead time and better spectroscopic performance. In this work, we present the performance of a new real time DPP system for X-ray and gamma ray semiconductor detectors. The system is based on a commercial digitizer equipped with a custom DPP firmware, developed by our group, for on-line pulse height and shape analysis. X-ray and gamma ray spectra measurements with cadmium telluride (CdTe) and germanium (Ge) detectors highlight the excellent performance of the system both at low and high rate environments (up to 800 kcps). These results make the proposed DPP system a very attractive tool for both laboratory research and the development of advanced detection systems for high-rate-resolution spectroscopic imaging, recently proposed in diagnostic medicine, industrial imaging and security screening.