Spectrometric performances of high quantum efficiency multi and single anode PMTs coupled to LaBr3(Ce) crystal

High quantum efficiency semiconductor photodetectors have recently drawn the attention of the scientific community for their potential in the realization of a new class of scintillation imagers with very high energy and spatial resolution performance. However, this goal does not seem within easy reach, due to various technological issues such as, for example, the difficulty to scale the characteristics of a single detector to an imager with suitable dimensions. Lately a definite technical improvement in increasing quantum efficiency up to 42% for position sensitive photomultipliers was achieved. The aim of this work is thus to test this new technological progress and to study the possible implications in imaging applications. Four Hamamatsu PMTs were tested: two multi anode photomultipliers, one with a bialkali (27% quantum efficiency) and the other one with a super-bialkali photocathode (38% quantum efficiency), and two 1 x 1 in. PMTs, both equipped with an ultra bialkali photocathode (42% quantum efficiency). In particular one of the ultra bialkali PMT has also an increased efficiency of first dynode charge collection. The results were compared with the ones obtained with a reference PMT (Hamamatsu R6231), mainly used in spectroscopy. The PMTs were coupled to LaBr3(Ce), NaI(Tl) and LSO(Ce) continuous scintillation crystals. The tests were done using two independent electronic chains: one dedicated for spectroscopic application and a second one, using a multi wire 64 channel readout, for imaging applications. The super-bialkali MA-PMTs have shown high energy resolution, both with spectroscopic and imaging setup, highlighting the appropriateness of these devices for the development of imaging devices with high spectroscopic performance. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.