A new detector system for the structure powder diffractometer SPODI at the FRM-II in Garching

This article describes the concept of one of the new technical features of the structure powder diffractometer SPODI: the array of position-sensitive detectors including the read-out electronics. 80 single-He3 detectors each with an active length of 300 mm will be arranged vertically in a detector bank. The position sensitivity enables us to evaluate larger parts of the Debye–Scherrer rings and to improve the determination of the 2θ positions of the Bragg peaks. The set-up of this detector system, which is called an individual counter array, is described. Test measurements with the prototype of the read-out electronics are presented. A software package will store the signals in a 2D matrix and allow various evaluation procedures of the data.