Gamma-ray spectroscopy with MAPD array in the readout of LaBr₃:Ce scintillator

Abstract

This paper presented a new detector module consisting of a micropixel avalanche photodiode (MAPD-3NM), LaBr3:Ce scintillator, and a compact read-out interface system for detecting gamma-rays in a wide energy range. The MAPD array (4 × 4 channels) was assembled using a singleMAPD-3NMcharacterized by its high photon detection efficiency (∼25%),pixel density (10 000 pixels/mm2), lowoperation voltage (74.5 V), and lowdark current. An active area of a singleMAPD-3NMwas 3.7 × 3.7 mm2, while this value was 17 × 17 mm2 for the assembled array with pixel density of 2190 000. The size of the tested LaBr3:Ce scintillator was 15 × 15 × 15 mm3. According to the characteristics of the detector module, a compact read-out interface device (SPECTRIG MAPD) was developed. SPECTRIG MAPD was designed as a miniature device with low power consumption, which continues to provide a wide spectrum of functions needed for measurement and test silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) and scintillation detectors on their basis. The various experiments were implemented to test the detection performance of a detector module to gamma radiation in the range from 30 keV to 4400 keV.