X-ray and gamma-ray imaging with monolithic CdZnTe detector arrays

CdZnTe crystals useful for room temperature x-ray astronomy detectors have recently been developed. Uniform response and good energy resolution in the 3 to 300 keV range have been demonstrated for large area detectors and monolithic arrays. Spectral resolution of 2.9 keV for the 59.5 keV 241 Am line, and resolved 661 keV peak from 137 Cs were recently achieved at room temperature. Gain deviations of 1.2% were measured for the elements over a large area monolithic array. Imaging results from a 32 X 32 array with active area of 12.4 cm 2 are presented. The stability, uniformity, producibility and size of the crystals, and the properties of the resulting nuclear radiation detectors make CdZnTe an attractive candidate for applications in the space sciences.