Large Area Germanium Surface-Barrier Counters

Abstract

A description is given of a solid‐state counter of good resolution, long term stability, and fast rise time which is suitable for heavy charged particles, for example, alpha particles and fission fragments. A simple theoretical model for the counter behavior is presented which is found to describe the observed behavior of the counter very well. The importance of germanium purity in connection with pulse height, rise time, and counter area is discussed. Counters with sensitive areas up to 5 cm² have been successfully used.