This discussion will help the customer prepare responses to basic design considerations that need to be resolved in order to build a detector that will meet your experimental requirements. Once this information is obtained contact us and we will provide the support required to complete the detector design process. The important components of a detector are:
- Crystal material
- Reflector
- Interface materials
- Light pipe
- Crystal housing
- Hermetic seal and light seal
- Photosensitive device selection
- Voltage divider and preamp.
We need the customer to provide valuable information to determine the appropriate crystal material, crystal housing material and selection of the photosensitive device. The design of the remaining components will be determined by the ASI design team.
To get started on a detector design, these basic questions must be considered:
- What is the gamma-ray energy of interest? Are there multiple regions of interest?
- How critical is it to obtain the best spectroscopic data? Is only important to detect the presence of gamma radiation?
- What is the expected count rate?
- What is the desired counting time?
- Is the size or shape of the detector constrained?
- Will the detector be shielded?
- Is the intrinsic background of the detector package important?
- What are the environmental conditions where the detector will be used?
- Will the detector experience thermal shock?
- Will the detector be exposed to mechanical shock and vibration?
- Is there an existing detector that is being used to provide measurements?
Once this information is gathered, or as much as possible, please contact us to help complete the detector design. ASI will work with the customer to arrive at an acceptable design. Then, once an order is placed our design engineer will create a formal sales drawing for the customer to review and sign off before our manufacturing process is initiated.
Additional technical information about scintillator materials and properties is provided below.