High throughput high resolution Vortex™ detector for X-ray diffraction

Vortex™ is a multicathode drift-type X-ray detector produced from high-purity silicon using state-of-the-art CMOS production technology . Based on the Vortex™ detector, we have developed a compact detector package for X-ray diffraction applications. The spectrometric package contains a 50 mm² detector cooled using a small Peltier element. The detector package was interfaced with a digital pulse processor, and its performance was tested as a function of the input count rate and pulse peaking time. A pure Cu sample was irradiated with varying flux from an X-ray generator, and the output count rate and energy resolution were measured. The system was able to operate at very high rate (>1 Mcps) with virtually zero loss in resolution and no peak shift. Finally, the performance of the Vortex™ system was tested on a Philips (Model PW 1835) powder diffractometer, replacing the sealed tube proportional counter and the graphite monochromator with the silicon detector. The elimination of the graphite monochromator resulted in improvement of the detection efficiency by a factor of 2.5 and improvement in the detection limits due to the low background of the semiconductor detector.