FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR X-RAY SPECTROMETER

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A NEW TYPE OF X-RAY DETECTOR THAT UTILIZES A FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR (FET) STRUCTURE. THIS NEW DETECTOR OFFERS THE ADVANTAGE OF INTERNAL GAIN, LOW NOISE AND SIMPLE READOUT ELECTRONICS. INITIAL STUDIES SHOW THAT THIS DETECTOR TYPE WOULD HAVE BETTER ENERGY RESOLUTION THAN X-RAY SPECTROMETERS CURRENTLY IN USE. THE FET DETECTORS WOULD BE VERY USEFUL IN APPLICATIONS IN MATERIALS SCIENCE RESEARCH AND MATERIALS ANALYSIS OR WHEREVER A HIGH PERFORMANCE SOLID STATE DETECTOR IS REQUIRED FOR X-RAY SPECTROMETER APPLICATIONS. OWING TO THEIR SMALL SIZE AND EASE OF READOUT THESE DEVICES WOULD ALSO BE EXCELLENT FOR USE IN IMAGING X-RAY DETECTORS.