A silicon solid state detector produces current pulses when charged particles pass through it. After being amplified, the pulses become voltage pulses and have a peak amplitude that is related to the energy deposited in the detector by the initial particle.

A pulse-height analyzer is a device that looks at the pulses and increments a counter based on the peak voltage. The analyzer produces a histogram showing the number of counts that have occurred in various energy bins.

Pulse-height analyzers work by comparing the voltage pulse to a reference voltage using a comparator. If the voltage of the pulse exceeds the reference voltage, the comparator is configured to produce a digital logic pulse that can be counted using other digital systems.

The reference voltages for these types of systems can be implemented using a resistor ladder similar to the one in problem 2-68 of the Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits 6th Edition by Thomas, Rosa, and Toussant. Problem 2-68 is: uploaded image

Assume that an amplifier amplifies pulses with a gain of 5.1mV/ keV. Use standard resistor values to design a resistor ladder that can provide references voltages for a comparator to detect pulses corresponding to primary energies of 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 keV, ±5%.

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