Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Basic Positron Emission Tomography System Constructed to Locate a Radioactive Source in a Bi-dimensional Space
Published on: February 1, 2016
Performance of CdTe, HPGe and NaI(Tl) detectors for radioactivity measurements
1University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Physics Department, PO Box 9016, 00681, Mayagüez, PR, USA. aurelis@coqui.net
Abstract:
The characteristics and performances of the NIST High-Purity Germanium (HPGe), Sodium Iodide (NaI(Tl)) and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) gamma-ray detectors were studied. The efficiencies, the minimum detectable activities and the energy resolutions of each were measured and compared. The data were analyzed using different software packages. The measurements were performed in a low background radiation environment using calibrated point sources. The CdTe detector showed a higher energy resolution than the NaI(Tl) detector but a lower efficiency than both the HPGe and NaI(Tl) detectors. This makes it a suitable detector only for relatively high activity measurements restricted to the 35 keV to 200 keV energy range.
Related Concept Videos
Gas Chromatography: Overview of Detectors
A non-destructive detector allows a sample to be analyzed without altering or consuming it, meaning the sample can be collected after detection for further analysis. Examples include thermal conductivity detectors and...
Gas Chromatography: Types of Detectors-I
TCD is the earliest and most widely used detector that operates by measuring the changes in the thermal conductivity of the carrier gas. When a sample compound enters the detector,...
Gas Chromatography: Types of Detectors-II
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Types of Detectors
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Lab

