Characterization of Redlen CZT detectors for hard x-ray astronomy

Abstract

We present the results of ongoing characterization of Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) semiconductors produced by Redlen Technologies. In particular we hope to determine their viability for future X-ray astronomy missions such as the High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P). The fully fabricated hybrid detectors consist of CZT crystals with a collecting area of 2 cm × 2 cm and thickness of 3 mm mounted on a custom pixelated ASIC originally designed for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission, which launched in 2012. We present the results of inter-pixel conductance and leakage current tests as well as spectral characterization using an 241Am source. Although further calibration and testing is necessary to determine the capabilities of these detectors, preliminary results indicate that Redlen CZT will be able to achieve spectral resolution and noise levels comparable to those of the CZT detectors currently in use aboard NuSTAR.