High dynamic range
A counter depth of 20 bits (~ 1 million counts) in conjunction with the absence of detector noise ensures unprecedented contrast and dynamic range, leading to excellent image and data quality. Extremely strong and weak signals can be accurately detected on a single image (Fig. 3). Especially for high-energy photons, it is an important advantage that each photon only generates a single count independent of the photon energy, as this preserves the detector's high dynamic range at all energies.
Fig. 3: Reciprocal space map showing X-ray Diffuse Scattering of a Bismuth sample studied at 69.7 keV.Acknowledgement: Measurement by Alexei Bosak (ESRF) at beamline ID15A using PILATUS3 X CdTe. The detector's high dynamic range is essential for measuring the extremely weak diffuse scattering signal between the strong Bragg peaks. This example from the synchrotron highlights the unique advantages of PILATUS3 CdTe detectors that are also beneficial in the laboratory.