The Use of High Purity Germanium for the Detection of 20 to 200 MeV Light Ions

While lithium-drifted germanium detectors have become an accepted tool for high resolution gamma ray spectroscopy, they were also shown to be excellent charged-particle detectors as well. Their use for this purpose was limited, however, by the practical complexities of their handling and storage at liquid-nitrogen temperature, and consequent incompatability with typical nuclear research scattering chambers. Many of these difficulties were eliminated by the development of the high-purity germanium stopping detector in 1970, and by the more recent development of the transmission type high-purity germanium detectors in 1977. A variable geometry detector telescope system using these high-purity planar germanium detectors has been developed and used at intermediate energies at Indiana since 1976. A detailed description of the telescope system is presented, along with some practical experience of their use as light ion detectors. The effects of radiation damage and the radiation damage annealing procedures on detector properties and performance are emphasized.