Factors affecting energy resolution of coplanar-grid CdZnTe detectors

Coplanar-grid CdZnTe detectors have been under development for the past 10 years as room-temperature gamma-ray spectrometers, and they are being produced for use in a number of applications. Despite the improvements in detector active volume and spectral response that have been achieved with the coplanar-grid technique, the full potential of such detectors is still far from being realized. There exist a number of material, device, and electronics factors that limit detector performance and yield. Some of the major factors are identified and examined in terms of their origins and the magnitude of their effects on energy resolution.