Development & first Performance evaluation of multi-element monolithic HPGe detector for X-ray spectroscopy

Abstract

The first operational prototype of a high-purity Germanium (HPGe) detector developed within the European LEAPS-INNOV project is presented in this work. This prototype features a monolithic, multi-element sensor optimized for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy in the hard X-ray regime, capable of handling high count rates (20-250 kcps/mm2) across a broad energy range (5-100 keV). We discuss here a complete laboratory-based characterization of the detector's performance, as well as an on-beam evaluation at the BM05 beamline of the ESRF synchrotron facility, using monochromatic X-rays in the 20-50 keV energy range. We provide a detailed performance assessment that also includes a phenomenological defect-depth estimation model.