Electron attachment and ionic recombination in a kinestatic charge detector for digital radiography

Electron attachment and ionic recombination of the ions in the kinestatic cage detector (KCD) leads to a loss in useful signal from the detector, and a consequent reduction in the detective quantum efficiency because the pulse height distribution is broadened. The addition of a polyatomic gas such as carbon dioxide or methane has been found to reduce the electron attachment to a considerable extent via the Ramsauer effect. The consequent reduction in the signal loss due to recombination results in a considerable improvement in the signal obtained from the KCD.