Monitoring of Silicon Detector Systems with Pulsed GaAs

Use of the closely matching emission of GaAs and spectral response of silicon detectors is proposed as an optical method of monitoring overall nuclear detector system response. A GaAs diode is a high-speed current device which emits light with an intensity linearly related to the electrical input over a wide range and which has a frequency response well beyond that of normal silicon detectors. The speed of the GaAs source enables overall evaluation of the silicon detector and its associated circuitry. Where applicable, the optical monitoring of nuclear detector systems with compact GaAs sources offers a highly flexible alternative to isotope and electrical pulse methods. Experimental behavior of sone typical sources and detectors and the results of a procedure developed to monitor a nuclear pulse detector system are presented.