Stability issues of high-energy resolution diode type CdTe nuclear radiation detectors in a long-term operation

High-energy resolution diode type CdTe detectors were fabricated by growing an n-type epitaxial layer on high resistivity p-like crystal wafers, and their stability issues during a long-term operation were studied. Room temperature stability of the detectors was not good at low operating biases of around 200 V. However, it could be improved significantly by operating them at higher biases under full depletion conditions. On the other hand, detectors exhibited excellent stability by cooling them slightly below room temperature down to 0degreesC. The effect of this low level of cooling on detector stability was found to be more significant than that of applying high biases at room temperature. By using the detector type presented here, stable operation could be obtained at moderate operating voltages of around 400 V and with a modest degree of cooling. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.