Abstract
Ring-drift design has been applied to large ( mm) cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) devices. This low-noise, single-carrier-sensing configuration is the gold standard for spectroscopic silicon x-ray detectors. By combining the advantages of ring-drift with the high quantum efficiency and room-temperature operating capabilities of CZT, a simple and compact device for high-resolution spectroscopy of x-rays in the range 50-500 keV can be created. Quality of CZT crystals has improved greatly in recent years and electron-only sensing overcomes the problem of inherently poor hole transport in II-VI semiconductors. The spatial response of our 3-ring CZT device was studied by microbeam scanning while the voltages applied to all electrodes were systematically varied. Maximum active radius extended to 2.3 mm, beyond the second ring. Resolution was limited by electronic noise. Our results show that the lateral field and its ratio to the bulk field exert a crucial influence on active area, peak position and sensitivity. CZT and the device geometry were modelled in 3D with Sentaurus TCAD. Line scans were simulated and trends in performance with bias conditions matched experimental data, validating the model. We aimed to optimize the resolution, sensitivity and active radius of the device. Fields and charge drift were visualized and the active volume was mapped in 3D to improve understanding of the factors governing performance including number of rings, their widths, positions and bias.