Improved Structure for Room Temperature Solid State Gamma Ray Detectors

A substantial effort has been devoted to finding a gamma-ray detector that can achieve a high count rate with high sensitivity and provide good energy resolution while operating at room temperature. Room temperature operation avoids the need for expensive and cumbersome cryogenic technology. This need for cryogenics is especially constraining in the need for portable detectors in remote locations, as needed for airport security as well as for nuclear arms dismantling verification studies and for space probes. Previous efforts have emphasized improvements in material quality for wide band gap materials. We propose an alternative: An innovative structure that permits the low quality material currently available to still achieve high quality operation. An additional desirable feature is low sensitivity to radiation damage. We demonstrate that the technology is in place to implement this proposal.