Determination of dead-layer variation in HPGe detectors

The dead-layer uniformity of the top surface of two high purity germanium detectors has been studied using a novel automated scanning set-up that allows a fine-grained topography of a detector's top and lateral surfaces. Comparisons between measurements and Monte Carlo simulations allowed implementation of a dead-layer variation into the detector model, which reproduces the measurements results. The effect of the non-uniform dead-layer on activity determinations based on low-energy γ-rays (i.e. below ~100 keV) has been determined to be of the order of 10% or more.