Measurement of the Energy Resolution of Silicon X-Ray Detectors Using Absorption Edge Spectra.

A silicon detector with a longitudinal silicon wafer has been developed. x-Ray spectra at the K-absorption edges of Au, Pb, and Bi are used to measure its energy resolution. The results are compared with measurements based on x-rays from a 241Am gamma-ray source. The dependence of the energy resolution of the detector on the noise of a charge-sensitive amplifier and on statistical fluctuations in pair production of carriers in the silicon is calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]