AMETEK Advanced Measurement Technology has introduced a new option for their ORTEC® Pop-Top GEM and GMX coaxial high-resolution detector line: a Harsh Environment (HE) detector.

"Development of the HE Detector greatly broadens the range of applications for these versatile high-resolution detectors, allowing users to take measurements in previously prohibited environments," notes Ben Kennedy, Product Manager for Detectors for the ORTEC® Products Group.

"By coupling a corrosion-resistant carbon fiber end cap with an environmentally sealed electronics chamber, we now are able to deploy high-purity germanium-based (HPGe)-based GEM and GMX coaxial detectors in otherwise prohibitive environments without reducing spectroscopic performance," he adds.

The carbon fiber endcap provides a thin radiation entrance window without the additional radioactive background found in most metal alloys. By sealing the electronics within a heavily anodized shroud, HPGe detectors now can be used in situations where dirt, dust, and moisture may have otherwise made their use prohibitive. A replaceable desiccant pack ensures the electronics chamber stays dry.

ORTEC has more than 40 years of experience in the design and manufacture of highly sensitive radiation detectors that are used by government anindustrial laboratories, nuclear facilities and medical research and in nuclear safeguards.

ORTEC is one of only two private manufacturers worldwide with the ability to produce germanium crystals with purity levels high enough to make high-resolution radiation detectors.