DETECTOR EQUIPPED WITH MICROMETRIC OPTICAL WINDOWS

The invention falls within the field of ionizing radiation detectors. In particular, it is a semiconductor detector provided with micrometric openings on the surface such as to favour the passage of laser radiation, necessary for the purposes of characterisation of the instrument, without altering the transmission of electrical signals in its inside.

How does it work?

Semiconductor detectors, particularly those made of silicon, require characterisation before use. The use of ionizing radiation in the characterisation phase entails several difficulties: (i) radioactive sources are not always available, (ii) the energy of the emitted radiation may be too weak, and (iii) the emission from the radioactive source is not unidirectional.

For these reasons, laser signals emulating the creation of charges in the detector are used for qualification. However, in order to ensure a good degree of uniformity of the response, the reading electrodes are usually covered with a layer of aluminium, which makes them insensitive to laser light.

The device of the invention, through the suitably sized opening of optical windows, allows the laser signal to pass through and at the same time does not alter the operation of the detector.

Applications

• Detection of ionizing radiation;
• Test for qualification of charged particle detectors.

Advantages

• Uniform electric field;
• Uniformity of response;
• Possibility of testing with laser light.