The Present and Future of Microcalorimeter X-ray Detectors for Fundamental X-ray Parameters

Published

February 1, 2024

Author(s)

Terrence Jach, Stephen Thurgate, Burkhard Beckhoff

Abstract

Microcalorimeter x-ray detectors offer the specific advantage of being high-resolution energy-dispersive detectors. Furthermore, they can be designed to cover almost any energy range, from soft x-rays to γ rays. Many of the current energy values of L, M, and N x-ray lines in the soft x-ray range (below 1.2 keV) have not been established through a chain of calibration. Based on our experience, we propose here a method of measuring the energies of these lines that should establish peak positions to a few tenths of an electron volt. It would involve the calibration of a microcalorimeter detector with diagram line energy values determined by a grating x-ray spectrometer calibrated by a plane grating monochromator using synchrotron radiation. We present L-line spectra from Cu, Co, and Ni obtained with a microcalorimeter detector to demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining high-resolution spectra in the energy range below 1 keV.

Citation

Radiation Physics and Chemistry (Elsevier)

Volume

218

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2024.111576

Local Download

Keywords

microcalorimeter, x-ray detector, x-ray energy, fundamental parameters

Citation

Jach, T. , Thurgate, S. and Beckhoff, B. (2024), The Present and Future of Microcalorimeter X-ray Detectors for Fundamental X-ray Parameters, Radiation Physics and Chemistry (Elsevier), [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2024.111576, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=957021 (Accessed January 18, 2026)