The measurement of X-ray peak intensities with a lithium drifted silicon detector by integration over a fixed energy range

A simple and convenient way of measuring X-ray peaks recorded by a Si(Li) detector is to sum the contents of an appropriate group of channels in the pulse height spectrum. However, such measurements are susceptible to errors due to shift and broadening of the pulse height distribution with increasing count rate. The results of calculations and measurements of these effects are given. It is concluded that errors can be kept below 1% provided certain conditions are observed.