The development of CdZnTe detectors with an orthogpnal coplanar anode
structure has important implications for future astrophysical instrumentation.
As electron-only devices, like pixel detectors, coplanar anode strip detectors
can be fabricated in the thickness required to be effective for photons with
energies in excess of 500 keV. Unlike conventional double-sided strip
detectors, the coplanar anode strip detectors require segmented contacts and
signal processing electronics on only one surface. This facilitates the
fabrication of closely-packed large area arrays that will be required for the
next generation of coded aperture imagers. These detectors provide both very
good energy resolution and sub-millimeter spatial resolution (in all three
spatial dimensions) with far fewer electronic channels than are required for
pixel detectors. Here we summarize results obtained from prototype detectors
having a thickness of 5 mm and outline a concept for large area applications.
