Hard X-ray and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline" id="d1e445" altimg="si198.svg"><mml:mi>?</mml:mi></mml:math>-ray spectroscopy at high temperatures using a COTS SiC photodiode

A commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) silicon carbide (4H-SiC) UV photodiode was electrically characterized and investigated as a low-cost spectroscopic photon counting detector of X-rays ?-rays. The coupled to custom-built low-noise charge-sensitive preamplifier, illuminated by 55Fe 109Cd radioisotope X-ray sources an 241Am ?-ray source, thus providing energies from 5.9 keV 59.5 keV. preamplifier were operated uncooled at temperatures between 20 °C 100 °C. energy resolution (full width half maximum, FWHM) the spectrometer found be 1.66 ± 0.15 22.16 keV, 1.83 when At temperature °C, FWHM 2.69 0.25 2.65 keV± 3.30 0.30 same energies. Shaping time noise analysis dielectric dominant except long amplifier shaping times used high white parallel dominated. Noise associated with incomplete charge collection negligible up ?60 °C; but could not discounted higher (80 °C) (59.5 keV). Although thin (and inefficient energies) low cost commercial availability SiC device make it attractive prospect for use in cost-sensitive applications such university-led CubeSat missions.