Segmented-spectrum detection mechanism for medical x-ray in CdTe

This paper presents a segmented X-ray spectrum detection method based on a layered X-ray detector in Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) substrate. We describe the three-dimensional structure of proposed detector pixel and investigate the matched spectrum-resolving method. Polychromatic X-ray beam enter the CdTe substrate edge on and will be absorbed completely in different thickness varying with photon energy. Discrete potential wells are formed under external controlling voltage to collect the photo-electrons generated in different layers, and segmented X-ray spectrum can be deduced from the quantity of photo-electrons. In this work, we verify the feasibility of the segmented-spectrum detection mechanism by simulating the absorption of monochromatic X-ray in a CdTe substrate. Experiments in simulation show that the number of photo-electrons grow exponentially with the increase of incident thickness, and photons with different energy will be absorbed in various thickness. The charges generated in different layers are collected into adjacent potential wells, and collection efficiency is estimated to be about 87% for different incident intensity under the 40000V/cm electric field. Errors caused by charge sharing between neighboring layers are also analyzed, and it can be considered negligible by setting appropriate size of electrodes.