Cadmium Zinc Telluride detectors for a next-generation hard X-ray telescope

We are currently developing Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors for a next-generation space-borne hard X-ray telescope which can follow up on the highly successful NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) mission. Since the launch of NuSTAR in 2012, there have been major advances in the area of X-ray mirrors, and state-of-the-art X-ray mirrors can improve on NuSTAR's angular resolution of similar to larcmin Half Power Diameter (HPD) to 15 '' or even 5 '' HPD. Consequently, the size of the detector pixels must be reduced to match this resolution. This paper presents detailed simulations of relatively thin (1mm thick) CZT detectors with hexagonal pixels at a next-neighbor distance of 150 mu m. The simulations account for the non-negligible spatial extent of the deposition of the energy of the incident photon, and include detailed modeling of the spreading of the free charge carriers as they move toward the detector electrodes. We discuss methods to reconstruct the energies of the incident photons, and the locations where the photons hit the detector. We show that the charge recorded in the brightest pixel and six adjacent pixels suffices to obtain excellent energy and spatial resolutions. The simulation results are being used to guide the design of a hybrid application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-CZT detector package. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper presents detailed simulations of thin CZT detectors with hexagonal pixels and discusses methods to reconstruct the energies and locations of incident photons. The results show that charge recorded in specific pixels is sufficient for excellent energy and spatial resolutions. The simulation findings will guide the design of a hybrid ASIC-CZT detector package.