HARD X-RAY CZT DETECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING ON STRATOSPHERIC BALLOON PAYLOADS

We report on the R&D activities on the development of room temperature semiconductor detectors (CZT detectors) for high energy space instrumentation. Our groups have been involved in the development of new hard X and soft gamma ray telescopes (e.g. Laue lens telescopes) and focal plane detectors. We present the characteristics and the performance of various CZT detector prototypes coupled with custom read-out electronics. The main target of this R&D activity is an end to end system for domestic growth CZT crystals, new sensor configurations and related read out architecture to provide an effective 3D focal plane able to perform contemporaneously imaging (spatial resolution mm or better), timing (few tens of µs), spectroscopy (2% @100keV) and polarimetry over a wide energy band (5-500 keV). On going activities on stratospheric balloon missions with CdTe and CZT detectors are also presented and discussed.