First Sensor To Feature New Gamma Radiation Detector At Photonics West

By Ron Grunsby, Editor

Last year's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan has heightened concerns about the risks from nuclear radiation and increased demand for commercial and personal radiation detection devices. First Sensor AG has responded with the X100-7 detector for gamma radiation and will be featuring the product at Photonics West 2012.

The device can be used in medical equipment and as an ionizing radiation detector or a personal dosimeter. Features include:

• An active area of 100 mm² that provides a large cross section for radiation detection
• A black epoxy light-blocking encapsulant that maintains small gamma ray attenuation
• Low dark current (5 nA)
• Low capacitance (80 pF)
• High shunt resistance (40 MΩ)
• High sensitivity

The X100-7 is available in a ceramic SMD package as well as a ceramic 2-pin THD package. Custom-specific options are available upon request.

"There's also an application that goes on an iPad or iPhone," said Paul Sharman, U.S. sales manager at First Sensor (formerly Silicon Sensor International AG and Pacific Silicon Sensor). "The wire cable connects into the iPad or iPhone. You monitor the radiation levels and download the readings onto a map. You can zoom in on the map of where the readings were taken and see the reading levels."

The app is called the Scosche radTEST App and requires the use of the Scosche RDTX pro radiation detector, which uses the SMD-packaged version of the X100-7.

First Sensor will also feature recently released photodiode arrays for non-destructive X-ray inspection at the show. Used for security applications such as baggage and cargo scanning, food inspection, and fluorescence analysis, these photodiode arrays are able to detect X-ray radiation by scintillator luminescence in the blue and green spectral region.

First Sensor has more than 20 years of experience in the development and manufacture of custom sensor solutions. You can visit them at Booth #4933.