Using the I400 for diamond detector readout

Henfield, England (October 2008) - Radiation detectors fabricated from CVD-grown diamond are the subject of intensive research in the physics and engineering communities. As a detector material, diamond offers a unique combination of radiation hardness, speed, low noise, high thermal conductivity and ability to operate at room temperature and beyond. Diamond Detectors Ltd (www.diamonddetectors.com) was established to provide complete diamond detector solutions. Pyramid has been working with Diamond Detectors Ltd to explore how its detector readout electronics can be used for diamond.

According to the type of diamond (single crystal or polycrystalline), the type of radiation, and the nature of the readout electronics, diamonds can be used as solid state "ionisation detectors", as super-fast pulse counting systems or as particle energy spectrometers. In initial studies, a standard Pyramid I400 electrometer was used to bias and to readout the DC current from a packaged single-crystal detector using an experimental TiW electrical contact. The detector was irradiated with 5.4 MeV alpha particles from a Am-241 source, typical of those found in safety-conscious households. The picture shows the diamond detector connected to channel 1 of the I400, with a small air ionization chamber connected via cable to channel 2 for comparison. Tests are ongoing, with different detector types, contact materials and biasing schemes scheduled for investigation.

Diamond detector response to repeated exposures to an Am-241 source, -250V bias, 50 msec integration.

Effect of applied bias voltage on detector response

About Pyramid Technical Consultants
Established in 1986, Pyramid serves customers in the USA and Europe from its base in Lexington, Massachusetts and its subsidiary company in England. Pyramid provides instrument control systems for the medical, semiconductor equipment, physics research and biological research markets, providing electronics hardware, embedded real-time software, and host system software drivers and applications.