CHARACTERIZATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE QUANTUM EFFICIENCIES OF MULTILAYER SEMICONDUCTOR-DETECTORS USING A NEW THEORY

On the basis of a new theory of semiconductor X-ray detector response, a new type of multilayer semiconductor detector was designed and deve loped for convenient energy analyses of intense incident X-ray flux in a cumulative-current mode. Another anticipated useful property of the developed detector is a drastic improvement in high-energy X-ray resp onse ranging over several hundred eV. The formula for the quantum effi ciency of multilayer semiconductor detectors and its physical interpre tations are proposed and have been successfully verified by synchrotro n radiation experiments at the Photon Factory. These detectors are use ful for data analyses under strong radiation-field conditions, includi ng fusion-plasma-emitting X-rays and energetic heavy-particle beams, w ithout the use of high-bias applications.