Monte Carlo semi-empirical model for Si(Li) x-ray detector: Differences between nominal and fitted parameters

A detailed characterization of a X-ray Si(Li) detector was performed to obtain the energy dependence of efficiency in the photon energy range of 6.4 - 59.5 keV, which was measured and reproduced by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Significant discrepancies between MC and experimental values were found when the manufacturer parameters of the detector were used in the simulation. A complete Computerized Tomography (CT) detector scan allowed to find the correct crystal dimensions and position inside the capsule. The computed efficiencies with the resulting detector model differed with the measured values no more than 10% in most of the energy range.