Characteristics of a prototype CdZnTe detector

Cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) is a preferred material for X-ray and gamma-ray detector. Thanks to the relatively high atomic number, high density and wide band-gap, CZT detector possesses sharp energy resolution and high detection efficiency without cryogenic cooling. We have developed a CdZnTe detector with an energy resolution of 3.45% (FWHM) at 59.54 keV at room temperature, and it is used for X-ray fluorescence analysis. In this paper, leakage current, energy resolution and long term stability of the CZT detector are discussed.