Potentialities of High-Resolution 3-D CZT Drift Strip Detectors for Prompt Gamma-Ray Measurements in BNCT

Recently, new high-resolution cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) drift strip detectors for room temperature gamma-ray spectroscopic imaging were developed by our group. The CZT detectors equipped with orthogonal anode/cathode collecting strips, drift strips and dedicated pulse processing allow a detection area of 6 x 20 mm(2) and excellent room temperature spectroscopic performance (0.82% FWHM at 661.7 keV). In this work, we investigated the potentialities of these detectors for prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy (PGS) in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The detectors, exploiting the measurement of the 478 keV prompt gamma rays emitted by 94% Li-7 nuclides from the B-10(n, alpha)Li-7 reaction, are very appealing for the development of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems and Compton cameras in BNCT. High-resolution gamma-ray spectra from B-10 samples under thermal neutrons were measured at the T.R.I.G.A. Mark II research nuclear reactor of the University of Pavia (Italy).