New Perspectives of X-ray Techniques for Explosive Detection Based on CdTe/CdZnTe Spectrometric Detectors

Conventional explosive detection systems (EDS) based on X-ray technologies are using dual-energy radiography; they provide only a crude material characterization. Recently emerged semiconductors based X-ray detectors offer new capabilities in energy discrimination. This study is aiming at evaluating their interest for EDS. LETI-LDET laboratory has developed several pixellated CdTe/CZT detectors. For X-ray spectral radiography, a detector capable to operate at count rates above 10counts/mms has been implemented, and associated to a multidimensional spectra analysis. We present the performance get for material identification on experimental data. Two complementary X-ray techniques are used in EDS: diffraction and backscatter techniques. Adapted detector prototypes have been developed. Experimental spectra are presented, and a dedicated processing method introduced for backscatter. For all these techniques, we discuss how CdTe/CdZnTe based spectrometric detectors are well-adapted.