Experimental study of the response of semiconductor detectors to low-energy photons

Six semiconductor detectors (Si(Li) and HPGe) are calibrated in the 1-10 ke V energy range by means of tuneable monochromatised synchrotron radiation. Significant improvement in the quality of the response is observed in very recent detectors. A peak shape calibration is established using a modified Hypermet-type function to model the detector response for each energy step; electron effects induce individual background and tail shapes for each det ector material. Fano factors for both semiconductor materials are experimen tally derived. The efficiency calibration is determined using a proportiona l counter as reference: the front semiconductor layer acts as a partially a ctive zone. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.