SPG: The Next Generation Mechanically-Cooled Germanium Spectrometer*

A mechanically-cooled planar germanium detector is being developed for isotopic analysis of uranium and plutonium. This instrument is referred to as SPG (Spectroscopic Planar Germanium detector). SPG is designed for high resolution in the important 100 keV region. This spectrometer is optimized for inspectors in the field performing hold-up measurements, enrichment measurements and other tasks where the highest-resolution is required. Based on a small planar germanium detector, SPG is extremely light-weight (< 2.5 kg), low-power (< 10 watts), has long battery lifetime (>10 hours) and is quite rugged. Most importantly, it is optimized for high energy resolution with a target of 600 eV at 100 keV. For maximum usability, SPG has been engineered to cool-down from room temperature to operating temperature in 25 minutes.