Analysis of the Dead Layer Thickness effect and HPGe Detector by Penelope Simulation

Penelope Simulation에 의한 불감층 두께 효과 및 HPGe 검출기 분석

Abstract

Germanium crystals have a dead layer that causes efficiency deterioration because the layer is not useful for detection but strongly weakens the photons. Thus, when the data provided by the manufacturer is used in the detector simulation model, there is a slight difference between the calculated efficiency and the measured efficiency.The shape and dimensions of the high purity germanium (HPGe) detector were determined by CT scans to accurately characterize the shape for the Monte Carlo roll simulation. It is found that the adjustment of the dead layer is a good match with the relative deviation of ${\pm}3%$ between the measurement efficiency and the simulation efficiency at the energy range of 50 - 1500 keV. Simulation data were compared by varying the thickness of the dead layer. The new Monte Carlo simulations were compared with the experimental results to obtain new blank layer thicknesses. The difference in dead layer results for the 1.5 mm thick end cap simulation model in 1.4 and 1.6 mm thick End Cap simulation models was a systematic error due to the accuracy of the end cap dimensions. After considering all errors including statistical errors and systematic errors, the thickness of the detector was calculated as $1.02{\pm}0.14mm$. Therefore, it was confirmed that the increase in the thickness of the dead layer causes the effect to be effected on the efficiency reduction.

게르마늄 결정은 검출에 유용하지 않지만, 광자를 강하게 약화하기 때문에 효율성 저하를 일어키는 불감층을 가지고 있다. 따라서 제조업체가 제공하는 데이터를 검출기 시뮬레이션 모델에 사용하면 계산된 효율성과 측정된 효율성 사이에 약간의 큰 차이가 나타난다. 고순도 게르마늄(HPGe) 검출기의 모양과 치수는 CT 스캔을 통해 몬테카롤롤 시뮬레이션을 위해 형상을 정확하게 형상화하였다. 이 결과 불감층 두께 증가가 효율 감소과정에 미치는 영향을 연구하고자 한다. 불감층의 조정은 50 - 1500 keV의 에너지 범위에서 측정 효율과 시뮬레이션 효율 사이의 ${\pm}3%$의 상대편차와 함께 좋은 일치임을 확인하였다. 불감층 두께에 변화를 주어 시뮬레이션 데이터를 비교하였다. 몬테카롤로 시뮬레이션 결과를 실험 결과와 비교하여 새로운 불감층 두꼐를 얻었다. 1.4와 1.6 mm 두께의 End Cap 시뮬레이션 모델에서 1.5mm 두께의 End Cap시뮬레이션 모델에 대한 불감층 두꼐 결과의 차이는 End Cap 치수의 정확성으로 인한 체계적인 오류였다. 통계적 오류와 체계적 오류를 고려한 후, 검출기의 불감충 두께는 $1.02{\pm}0.14mm$로 도출되었다. 따라서 불감층 두께의 증가는 효율성 감소에 영향을 미치는 것을 확인하였다.

Fig. 1. Characteristics of HPGe detector as provided by the manufacturer.

Fig. 2. CT radiogram of the detector system.

Fig. 3. The simulation spectrum of the ¹³³Ba source. The distance between the source and end-cap is 10 mm, and the dead layer thickness is assumed to be 1.0 mm.

Fig. 4. Peak efficiency curves for several values of the thickness of the dead layer.

Fig. 5. Determination of the thickness of the dead layery the source point of 5 mm. The black points are from the simulation providing the ratio of the number of events on the 81 keV photoelectron peak to that in the 356 keV photoelectron peak. The horizontal band is from the experimental data. The vertical band determines the dead layer thickness by comparing the experimental ratio and simulation fitting line. The error bars for the simulation points are smaller than the data point size and invisible in the plot.

Fig. 6. An experimental spectrum of the ¹³³Ba source. The distance between the source and end-cap is 5 mm, and the dead layer thickness is assumed to be 1.0 mm

Fig. 7. Mapping of fraction of gamma ray absorbed at different layers in the detector.

Table 1. Detector dimensions as specified by the manufacturer and as optimised by Monte Carlo simulations.

Table 2. Gamma ray intensities of a ¹³³Ba ,¹⁵²Eu source