Large Area Reach-Through Avalanche Diodes for X-Ray Spectroscopy

Large Area reach-through avalanche diodes have been studied for use in room temperature X-ray spectroscopy applications. Gains in the range 10-80 have been measured, for diodes of area 12 and 25 mms2. Resolutions down to about 600 eV FWHM have been obtained for 5.9 keV X-rays. Various factors limiting resolution are discussed. The useful energy range is approximately 1.5 - 20 keV.