There are important areas of synchrotron radiation research which would strongly benefit from the availability of energy dispersive detector arrays with high energy resolution and good spatial resolution. The goal of this developmental project is to produce a several element mercuric iodide (HgI2) submodule, which can later be multiplied and grouped into larger arrays of 100–400 elements. A prototype five-element HgI2 array detector was constructed and tested using a synchrotron radiation beam at SSRL. An energy resolution of 280 eV (FWHM) has been obtained for the MnKα line at 5.9 keV. Miniaturized processing electronics were developed in parallel with array advancement. To date, we have completed the hybridized preamplifier and finished breadboarding a computer controlled amplifier. The system integration aspects of large array detectors were studied, producing a conceptual design for both the detector array and its computerized data-acquisition and analysis system.

No abstract

The paper presents x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra of different extraterrestrial samples taken with a mercuric iodide (HgI2) spectrometer inserted into an Alpha Backscattering Instrument identical to that used in the Soviet Phobos Mission. The results obtained with the HgI2 ambient temperature detector are compared with those obtained using a Si[Li] cryogenically cooled detector. Our efforts to design an optimiid instrument for space application are described.

This paper describes recent progress in the development of HgI, energy dispersive x-ray detector arrays for synchrotron radiation research and their associated miniaturized processing electronics. Deploying a 5 element HgI, array detector under realistic operating conditions at SSRL, an energy resolution of 252 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV (Mn-Ka) was obtained. We also report energy resolution and throughput measurements versus input count rate. The results from the Hg1,system are then compared to those obtained under identical conditions from a commercial 13 element Ge detector array

No abstract