Characterization of charge sharing and fluorescence effects by multiple counts analysis in a Pixie-II based detection system

In CdTe X-ray photon counting detectors (PCD) featuring small pixel sizes (< 100 mu m), charge-sharing and fluorescences emitted by Cd and Te are responsible for multiple counts from a single interacting photon. These effects can impair the imaging and spectroscopic performance of PCDs. Multiple counts can be partially or totally discriminated by properly setting the energy threshold implemented by the PCD system. Using monochromatic radiation and the Pixirad-1/Pixie-II CdTe PCD, this work characterizes and quantifies clusters of multiple counts as a function of energy and threshold.