Three-Dimensional Position-Sensitive Germanium Detectors.

摘要

A critical need within DOE is the ability to characterize radioactive contamination. Simultaneous high-resolution gamma-ray imaging and spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the in-situ, passive, and non-destructive characterization of equipment and building structures containing such contamination. Instruments based on germanium (Ge) position-sensitive detectors have the potential to achieve a combined imaging and spectroscopy performance level far superior to that of todays commercial instruments. The gamma-ray imaging technique employed in such an instrument allows the characterization to be done at a distance from the contaminated objects and can accurately acquire the spatially dependent gamma-ray emission information in a single measurement. Consequently, the device can more efficiently discriminate between contaminated and non-contaminated areas of heterogeneous objects while at the same time reducing worker exposure. Furthermore the advanced spectroscopic capabilities of this instrument enables isotopic identification of the radioactive contaminants, increases instrument sensitivity through a reduced background, improves image resolution of buried contaminants, and allows gamma gauging to be done.