White paper: Why High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) radiation detection technology still is superior to other detector technologies for isotope identification or gamma spectroscopy

Synopsis: High Purity Germanium (HPGe) is the only radiation detection technology that provides sufficient information to accurately and reliably identify radionuclides from their passive gamma ray emissions.HPGe detectors have a 20-30x improvement in resolution as compared to that of Sodium Iodide (NaI) detectors. In addition, NaI detectors, unlike HPGe detectors, have been shown to perform poorly in mixed isotope, shielded, stand-off, and high background scenarios.

Whether in a secondary detection role providing (portable) positive identifications in response to radiation measurement errors, or in combined primary/secondary detection mission (such as a HPGe portal monitor),
HPGe technology, coupled with state-of-the-art real-time spectral analysis algorithms and field proven supporting electronics, can accurately identify and ascertain whether alarms were caused by innocent radiological sources, or if true nuclear or radiological dangers are present during, for example, control of goods.

Read complete white paper here.HPGe technology is applicable to gamma spectroscopy in research laboratories, portable detectors for nuclide identification (Detective X) and even portal monitors.

In laboratory applications, the energy resolution and efficiency with HPGe detectors is unmatched. See below for the answer to the question of which detector is most suitable for your application.

HPGe Radiation Detector Types and How to Choose

PEO offers a wide range of Ortec HPGe radiation detector solutions which cover energies for X-rays in the few hundred electron volts (eV) range up to gamma rays in the 10 MeV and above range.
These detectors are manufactured using high purity germanium (HPGe) of both P- and N-type. All detectors in these two classes are cryogenically cooled, using either liquid nitrogen or electro-mechanical coolers.Choosing the correct detector for your specific application involves many criteria. No table or graph tells you exactly which detector to use for your specific measurement.

Learn how to choose the right detector:The best choice of High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector (PDF)Choose the right photon detector for your application (PDF)Do you need assistance in finding the right detector?

Contact PEO and find the detector for your specific measurement.