Neat part: Photodiode with scintillator on mouser for radiation monitoring

[daqq]

The picture on mouser is wrong according to the datasheet, but: https://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/First-Sensor/3001448?qs=qSfuJ%252Bfl%2Fd4AKH6SN7If0Q%3D%3D

With all of the radiation/nuke scare everywhere, I've had a friend contact me as to where he could get a geiger tube. I recommended ebay, but looked also on mouser. They did not have GM tubes, but they did have this - a photodiode with a scintillation crystal strapped to it. Not exactly cheap, but this is fairly specific stuff. Also, without needing the higher voltages, the supporting circuitry is much more convenient compared to a geiger tube. Also, you can make a gamma spectrometer out of it

Concerning support circuitry, see: https://www.first-sensor.com/cms/upload/datasheets/gamma-ray-detection.pdf
http://einstlab.web.fc2.com/Gamma/spectroscopy.html
http://einstlab.web.fc2.com/Xdetector/detector.html

edit: Yes, I know it's not revolutionary and has been done before, just never seen it off the shelf on mouser. I've only ever seen this sort of stuff from obscure manufacturers with a "call us for pricing".

[penfold]

Nice, not seen those listed as standard parts before. Not a particularly big detection volume, would be interesting to see how it fairs to small-ish variations of background counts.

The on-semi (formerly SensL) silicon photomultipliers are readily available from mouser nowadays, would of course, have to supply your own scintillator, but the prices might favor a pair stuck to a piece of plastic scint, run through a coincidence gate for better low-end signal to noise. Just thinking out loud.

[Someone]

Why bother if broadband dectection is the goal? Complete brand new (or used if you prefer) dosimeters are cheaper than that sensor and have qualified sensitivity.

[daqq]

The on-semi (formerly SensL) silicon photomultipliers are readily available from mouser nowadays, would of course, have to supply your own scintillator, but the prices might favor a pair stuck to a piece of plastic scint, run through a coincidence gate for better low-end signal to noise. Just thinking out loud.

Nice! Do you know of any mundane material that can be used as a scintillator? Just a basic one for detection, no expectation from it to replace HPGe

[penfold]

The on-semi (formerly SensL) silicon photomultipliers are readily available from mouser nowadays, would of course, have to supply your own scintillator, but the prices might favor a pair stuck to a piece of plastic scint, run through a coincidence gate for better low-end signal to noise. Just thinking out loud.

Nice! Do you know of any mundane material that can be used as a scintillator? Just a basic one for detection, no expectation from it to replace HPGe

There are a few Bicron plastic scintillators in relatively large sizes around on eBay quite often, if I recall correctly the 402 and 412 materials aren't amazingly efficient or have high absorption density... it's an option.

For mundanity (just what's possible, can't speculate energy and sensitivity off hand)... interestingly, it is possible to use just perspex with higher energy betas and positrons for Cherenkov (not very efficient so better at higher to dangerous levels). Quinine in tonic-water scintillates nicely, perchloroethylene (dry cleaning solvent) I'm not 100% whether it scintillates or is just better at Cherenkov.

The liquids just came to mind as a bit of a side thing... because, with a global 'risk', it is very difficult to escape from fallout and those things that'll elevate background and be 'chronic' might not be high enough in counts for a personal dosimeter to really give a valid reading for over a long period (low detection volume poorer signal to background ratio, higher temperature dependency of such with single detectors and smaller crystals)... but water and food contamination are more serious and 'better' measurements of those could be done with liquid scintillation counting. Just thinking out loud whether that would be a useful/valid open-source hardware project right now.

[jmelson]

Nice, not seen those listed as standard parts before. Not a particularly big detection volume, would be interesting to see how it fairs to small-ish variations of background counts.

The on-semi (formerly SensL) silicon photomultipliers are readily available from mouser nowadays, would of course, have to supply your own scintillator, but the prices might favor a pair stuck to a piece of plastic scint, run through a coincidence gate for better low-end signal to noise. Just thinking out loud.

I found some BGO (Bismuth germanate) slabs on eBay last year, and built a handy detector with a SiPM.  These were 25x25x10mm crystals.  The TINY CsI specks on those ming not detect much.
Jon