Review of the Shockley-Ramo theorem and its application in semiconductor gamma-ray detectors

The Shockley-Ramo theorem is reviewed based on the conservation of energy. This review shows how the energy is transferred from the bias supplies to the moving charge within a device. In addition, the discussion extends the original theorem to include cases in which a constant magnetic field is present, as well as when the device medium is heterogeneous. The rapid development of single polarity charge sensing techniques implemented in recent years on semiconductor gamma -ray detectors are summarized, and a fundamental interpretation of these techniques based on the Shockley-Ramo theorem is presented. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.