Spectroscopy with CdZnTe γ- and X-ray detectors by modifying the electron trapping to compensate for incomplete charge collection caused by large hole trapping

We show a method for obtaining excellent spectroscopic performance for CdZnTe γ- and X-ray detectors with segmented readout. Best spectroscopic performance is obtained by tuning the electron trapping in the detector material to obtain optimum compensation for the incomplete charge collection caused by the large amount of hole trapping. For a CdZnTe detector with pad segmentation, we obtain for 57Co a photopeak resolution of better than 3.5% FWHM with a peak-to-valley ratio of ∼100/1.