HIGH-RESOLUTION NON DISPERSIVE-X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SILICON DETECTORS

For the European X-ray Multi-Mirror mission (XMM) and the German X-ray satellite ABRIXAS fully depleted pn-CCDs have been fabricated, enabli ng high speed, low noise, position resolving X-ray spectroscopy. The d etector was designed and fabricated with a homogeneously sensitive are a of 36 cm(2). lit 150 K it has a noise of 5 e(-) rms only, with a rea dout time for the total focal plane array of 4 ms. The maximum count r ate for single photon counting is 100,000 cps under flat field conditi ons. Its position resolution is in the order of 100 mu m. The quantum efficiency is higher than 90% from carbon K X-rays (272 eV) up to 10 k eV. In addition, new cylindrical silicon drift detectors have been des igned, fabricated and tested. They comprise an integrated on-chip ampl ifier system with continuous reset, on-chip voltage divider, electron accumulation layer stabilizer, large area, homogeneous radiation entra nce window and a drain for surface generated leakage current. At count rates as high as 1,000,000 counts per sec and per cm(2), they still s how excellent spectroscopic behaviour at room temperature operation. T hese detector systems were developed for X-ray astronomy, synchrotron light sources and for X-ray fluorescence analysis applications. All sy stems are fabricated in planar technology having the detector and ampl ifiers monolithically integrated on high resistivity silicon.