Abstract: A large area SDD detector having linear anodes surrounded by steering electrodes and having an oblong, circular, hexagonal, or rectangular shape. The detectors feature stop rings having a junction on the irradiation side and an ohmic contact on the anode side and/or irradiation side. The irradiation and anode stop ring biasing configuration influences the leakage current flowing to the anode and, hence, the overall efficiency of the active area of the detector. A gettering process is also described for creation of the disclosed SDD detectors. The SDD detector may utilize a segmented configuration having multiple anode segments and kick electrodes for reduction of the detector's surface electric field. In another embodiment, a number of strip-like anodes are linked together to form an interdigitated SDD detector for use with neutron detection. Further described is a wraparound structure for use with Ge detectors to minimize capacitance.

Abstract: A system for determining the calibration factor uncertainty of a radiation sensor. A computing device accepts a mathematical model of the sensor, sample, and other items affecting the calibration factor, wherein each known mathematical model parameter is assigned its normal dimensions or values and each not-well-known parameter is assigned a variable with an upper and lower limit, and a shape parameter that describes the parameter may vary within or about the limits. Random values consistent with the upper and lower limits and shape parameters for each of the variable parameters in the model are then selected, to create a mathematical model of one possible variation of source-detector measurement configuration. The selection and calibration factor computation are then repeated a large number of times and statistical parameters describing the calibration factor and uncertainty are then computed. Another embodiment performs the steps at different energies for spectroscopic detectors.

Abstract: A method, system, and software for calculating the true coincidence summing effects for radionuclide spectroscopy analysis. A set of equations which can be implemented with a stored computer program performs calculations to correct the spectroscopic analysis data for gamma-gamma coincidence events, gamma-X-ray coincidence events, as well as gamma-annihilation photon coincidence events. The net gamma-ray, KX-ray and annihilation photon summing-out probabilities for the analytic gamma-ray is the total summing-out probability from all gamma-ray summing-out chains subtracted by the total summing-out probability from all gamma-ray sub-cascade chains involving the analytic gamma-ray. A total efficiency calculation is performed to eliminate the need for using radioactive sources to create summing specific calibration measurements and for increased accuracy.

Abstract: Methods of detecting radioactivity in dynamic situations in which radiation is detected from large and small radioactive objects with at least one radiation detector as the objects pass through the field of view and combinations are made from those measurements which are either adjacent in time, from multiple detectors, or at different energies. An elevated signal is reported when an analysis of the various combinations shows an elevated signal in anyone combination. Small amounts of radioactivity can be detected even in the presence of large amounts.

Abstract: A large area SDD detector having linear anodes surrounded by steering electrodes and having an oblong, circular, hexagonal, or rectangular shape. The detectors feature stop rings having a junction on the irradiation side and an ohmic contact on the anode side and/or irradiation side. The irradiation and anode stop ring biasing configuration influences the leakage current flowing to the anode and, hence, the overall efficiency of the active area of the detector. A gettering process is also described for creation of the disclosed SDD detectors. The SDD detector may utilize a segmented configuration having multiple anode segments and kick electrodes for reduction of the detector's surface electric field. In another embodiment, a number of strip-like anodes are linked together to form an interdigitated SDD detector for use with neutron detection. Further described is a wraparound structure for use with Ge detectors to minimize capacitance.

Abstract: A radiation detection apparatus that utilizes a radiation sensor device that includes a scintillator device that is optically coupled to a plurality of silicon drift detector devices. Each silicon drift detector device segment includes an output anode that supplies the segment output to dedicated sensor processing circuitry. With each anode having dedicated processing circuitry, each output can be processed simultaneously. Also provided is a spectroscopic analysis device that is coupled with the sensor processing circuitry for computing spectral data associated with the radiation detection event. The spectroscopic analysis device accurately characterizes the detected radionuclide and prepares the results for display before the user. Networking capabilities also allow multiples of such apparatuses to communicate in an intelligent grid, providing even greater radionuclide characterization capabilities.

Abstract: A method, system, and software for calculating the true coincidence summing effects for radionuclide spectroscopy analysis. A set of equations which can be implemented with a stored computer program performs calculations to correct the spectroscopic analysis data for gamma-gamma coincidence events, gamma-X-ray coincidence events, as well as gamma-annihilation photon coincidence events. The net gamma-ray, KX-ray and annihilation photon summing-out probabilities for the analytic gamma-ray is the total summing-out probability from all gamma-ray summing-out chains subtracted by the total summing-out probability from all gamma-ray sub-cascade chains involving the analytic gamma-ray. A total efficiency calculation is performed to eliminate the need for using radioactive sources to create summing specific calibration measurements and for increased accuracy.

Abstract: The present invention computes the uncertainty in the calibration factor or efficiency of a radiation sensor for that portion of the uncertainty arising from imprecise knowledge of the exact measurement conditions.

Abstract: Methods of detecting radioactivity in dynamic situations in which radiation is detected from large and small radioactive objects with at least one radiation detector as the objects pass through the field of view and combinations are made from those measurements which are either adjacent in time, from multiple detectors, or at different energies. An elevated signal is reported when an analysis of the various combinations shows an elevated signal in any one combination. Small amounts of radioactivity can be detected even in the presence of large amounts.

Abstract: A method of calibrating and using a radiation detector to quantify the radioactivity in or on a wide variety of objects, over a wide range of object sizes (points to hundreds of cubic meters), over a wide range of energies (e.g., 50-7000 keV photons), where the object can be at any location in a large sphere (e.g. 100 meter diameter) surrounding the detector, and where there can be various absorbers between the radioactive object and the detector (e.g., container, walls, air collimators), in which calibrations have been implemented and expanded following the method of Atrashkevich and Kolotov but without the use of radioactive sources and in minutes, and with no generation of radioactive waste. Such calibration technique can be applied to the quantiative analysis of a spectrum of radioactivity taken from a wide variety of in-situ or laboratory samples.