High Resolution, Room Temperature Semiconductor Detectors

Proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear weapons is a serious threat in the world today. Prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons has reached a state of heightened urgency in recent years, especially since the events on September 11, 2001 and its aftermath. Gamma ray spectrometers are an important tool in checking the proliferation of the nuclear weapons. Important requirements for the gamma ray spectrometers used in this application include good energy resolution, high detection efficiency, compact size, light weight, easy portability, and low power requirements. None of the existing gamma-ray detectors satisfy all these requirements. As a result, the goal of the proposed effort is to explore promising, new semiconductor detectors for monitoring of special nuclear materials.