Which technologies are used in solid-state detectors?

• A. CCD and CMOS
• B. PMT and APD
• C. Vacuum tubes
• D. LCD and OLED

Answer: (A)

Solid-state detectors rely on semiconductor materials to convert incoming photons or particles into electrical signals. CCDs and CMOS sensors are classic examples of solid-state imaging detectors: photons create electron-hole pairs in silicon, and the resulting charge is stored and read out by solid-state electronics. This makes them compact, robust, and suitable for high-resolution detection.

In contrast, a photomultiplier tube is a vacuum-tube device that uses a photocathode and dynodes to amplify electrons, not a solid-state process. While avalanche photodiodes are solid-state, the option that pairs PMT with APD mixes a non-solid-state technology with a solid-state one, so it isn’t a pure solid-state detector choice. Vacuum tubes themselves are not solid-state. LCD and OLED are display technologies, not detectors.

So the technologies used in solid-state detectors are CCD and CMOS.