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Germanium

Itech Instruments offers a variety of germanium detector options. Coaxial P type
These detectors have a typical energy range 40 keV to 10 MeV. They are equipped with a preamplifier and high voltage filter with HV monitoring. Itech can offer detectors with efficiencies as high as >100%. The P-type is the typical crystal style used in power plants and those labs tasked with monitoring power plants. P-types also cost a bit less than N-types and often offer equal performance for most applications. All of our germanium detectors can be temperature cycled and stored at room temperatures.

Coaxial N type
N-type coaxials detectors have an energy range starting at 3 keV (Beryllium or organic window) or at 20 keV (Aluminum window). Efficiencies of up to 80% are avaiable. N-types are often used in higher neutron flux applications due to their greater resistance to neutron damage. You may also find them in certain physcis experiments where fast and consistent detector timing is important. Of course, if there is a need for a greater response for the detection and differentiation of lower energies such as plutonium x-rays and lower energy medical isotopes, N-ypes are better suited. Like all of our detectors, these can be temperature cycled and stored at room tempserture.

Planar and Semi planar detectors
These detectors are used for low energy and medium energy applications, as well as very high rate applications. The planar detector crystals are quite small with a very low capacitance making them ideal for high rate x-ray applications such as those found in synchrotron light sources and other accelerator applications. The useable energy range runs from <1 keV to > 100 keV. Typically these detectors are euqipped with transistor reset preampliers to perform at very high rates. SemiPlanars are so named because like a planar,they have a greater diameter than thickness, typically about 2.5/1, but like a coaxial, they are active on the sides as well as the front window and they have a center contact in the same style as a coaxial. These detectors offer excellant resolution up to about 500 keV (as much as twice the resolution nas an N-type of P-type coaxial), but with similar efficiency from a point source. This makes for higher peak to background as well and better counting statistics and faster counting times. The Planar active area is between 25mm² and 200mm² and the semi-planars have an active area of 500mm² to 3800mm².

Itech offers a wide renge of cryostat designs for both LN and mechanical cooling. Please contact your Itech representative for advice in selecting the crystal and cryostat that best fits your needs.