Design and performance of the X-123 compact X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy system

Compact, high performance X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy systems are required for many applications, both in the field and in the laboratory. The X-123 provides this by combining Amptek´s thermoelectrically cooled X-ray and gamma-ray detectors and Amptek´s digital signal processing technology with a compact, high efficiency power supply in a small package. The detectors include Si-PIN devices for low energy X-rays, CdTe diodes for higher energy X-rays, and stacked CdTe diodes for low to medium energy gamma-rays. The digital signal processor provides better resolution, better throughput, better stability, and much better configurability than the prior analog solution. The X-123 includes detector, preamp, shaping amplifier, multichannel analyzer, and power supplies in a package measuring 10 cm times 7 cm times 2.5 cm, with a mass of 180 g and a total power consumption of 1.2W. This paper presents the design of the X-123, a comparison of its performance to analog solutions, and its use in applications.