THALLIUM BROMOIODIDE DETECTORS FOR SCINTILLATION SPECTROSCOPY

SCINTILLATION DETECTORS REMAIN THE LEADING TYPE OF DETECTOR IN MANY AREAS OF NUCLEAR PHYSICS. ALTHOUGH IMPROVEMENTS IN SCINTILLATOR CRYSTAL TECHNOLOGY HAVE EXTENDED THE UTILITY OFSCINTILLATOR SYSTEMS, SERIOUS DEFICIENCIES IN THE OPTICAL DETECTORS USED WITH SCINTILLATION CRYSTALS LIMIT THE TECHNOLOGY'S FULL POTENTIAL. CONVENTIONAL SCINTILLATION SYSTEMS USE PHOTOMULTIPLIER TUBES OR SILICON DIODES AS OPTICAL DETECTORS. UNFORTUNATELY, BOTH OF THESE OPTICAL DETECTOR SYSTEMS HAVE SERIOUS DEFICIENCIES IN TERMS OF QUANTUM EFFICIENCY AND SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO. IT WAS DEMONSTRATED VERY RECENTLY THAT PHOTOCONDUCTIVE DETECTORS CONSTRUCTED FROM WIDE BAND GAP SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS PRODUCE THE HIGHEST PERFORMANCE YET ACHIEVED WITH A SCINTILLATION SYSTEM. THESE RESULTS WERE OBTAINED BY COUPLING HGI2 PHOTODETECTORS TO CSI(TI) SCINTILLATORS. A NEW TYPE OF WIDE BAND GAP PHOTODETECTOR WILL BE DEVELOPED INTHIS STUDY. IT SHOULD OFFER PERFORMANCE SUPERIOR TO HGI2 PHOTODETECTORS AND BE USABLE WITH A WIDER RANGE OF SCINTILLATOR CRYSTALS. THESE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE DETECTORS, CONSTRUCTED FROM THE WIDE BAND GAP MATERIAL TIBRXI1-X WOULD BE VERY USEFUL IN THE WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS IN WHICH SCINTILLATION DETECTORS CURRENTLY ARE USED.