Analysis of radiation damaged HPGe detectors with a new algorithm

After being irradiated by high energy protons, the energy resolution of HPGe detectors degrade extensively. Resulting line shapes depend mostly on detector geometry and doping type. To improve the analysis of measured gamma-ray spectra of HPGe detectors, new algorithms were developed. Since trapping in radiation damaged HPGe detectors is predominantly hole trapping, the full energy peak is the integration of absorption events produced within the detector at various distances from the positive contact. Implementing that information into fit algorithms, peaks produced by detectors irradiated with 6·10⁸ protons/cm² could be analyzed. The tailing structure at the low energy side was included in the algorithm. Analog algorithms were successfully applied to damaged coaxial detectors of either doping type. Using these algorithms, it was possible to evaluate transients in damaged detectors after having been exposed to room temperature. Also, the development of tail broadening could be examined