Advances in germanium detector technology

This paper summarizes some of the recent advances in high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector technologies and their applications. These important advances were driven by the necessity to support the recent increase in applications, uses and requirements for germanium detectors. Performances of single and multi-element closely packed HPGe detector arrays are discussed for various applications. Some of the developmental work to further improve the packing density of both large and small germanium detectors by using monolithic segmentation technology is presented along with the results. Monolithically segmented large germanium detectors are described which have high efficiency and high-energy resolution. Such detectors supply both interaction position and energy information of incident high-energy photons thereby providing powerful tools for gamma-ray tracking, polarimetry studies, low-energy filtration, and low-energy background rejection, etc. Monolithically segmented small germanium detectors provide improved solid angle ratio in X-ray detection systems without sacrificing energy resolution or throughput. Advancements in this detector technology are required for the fourth-generation Synchrotron Light Sources that are at the planning stage. This paper also reports on a revolutionary monolithic structure that is believed to be the first ever fabricated on large HPGe crystal.