Automated determination of segment positions in a high-purity 32-fold segmented germanium detector

An automated system for determining detector segment positions in a high-purity 32-fold segmented germanium detector has been developed. To determine segment positions as they would appear in an experiment, positions must be measured while the 32-fold segmented germanium crystal is kept at liquid nitrogen temperatures. A collimated 57Co gamma-ray source is moved around the surface of the detector cryostat, and the response of the germanium crystal is measured. Motion of the source is driven by two Slo-Syn motors and BEI incremental optical encoders, which are controlled through LabVIEW programming and a National Instruments PCStep board. The collected data is analyzed to determine the position of the center of each of the 32 segments.