A novel compact real time radiation detector

A novel compact real time radiation detector with cost-effective, ultralow power and high sensitivity based on Geiger counter is presented. The power consumption of this detector which employs CMOS electro circuit and ultralow-power microcontroller is down to only 12.8 mW. It can identify the presences of 0.22 μCi 60Co at a distance of 1.29 m. Furthermore, the detector supports both USB bus and serial interface. It can be used for personal radiation monitoring and also fits the distributed sensor network for radiation detection. - Highlights: ► The power consumption of this detector is down to only 12.8 mW. ► The detector has high detection sensitivity and it can identify the presences of 0.22 μCi 60Co at a distance of 1.29 m. ► The detector supports USB bus and it can be used for personal radiation monitoring conveniently. ► The compact detector also supports serial interface through which it can be interconnected to a wireless module. ► So it also fits the distributed wireless sensor network used in the field of radiation detection or battlefield reconnaissance.