Downhole X-ray radiation detector systems and methods

A method for operating a downhole X-ray generator, comprising:

• generating, using the X-ray generator, X-ray radiation output into a surrounding sub-surface formation using electrical power received from a power supply;
• determining, using a first detector with a first radiation sensitivity, a first radiation dose rate resulting from interaction between a first portion of the X-ray radiation and the first detector;
• determining, using a second detector with a second radiation sensitivity adjacent the first detector, a second radiation dose rate resulting from interaction between a second portion of the X-ray radiation and the second detector;
• determining, using a control system, characteristics of the X-ray radiation output from the X-ray generator based at least in part on the first radiation dose rate and the second radiation dose rate;
• and
• controlling, using the control system, operation of the X-ray generator based at least in part on the characteristics of the X-ray radiation output from the X-ray generator.

A method of manufacturing a detector device to be used in a downhole tool, comprising:

• segmenting a radiation detector to form a first detector and a second detector;
• forming a first shielding member over the first detector with a first thickness, density, and effective atomic number such that the first detector has a first radiation sensitivity to X-ray radiation received from an X-ray generator;
• forming a second shielding member over the second detector with a second thickness, density, and effective atomic number, at least one of which is different from the first thickness, density, and effective atomic number of the first detector such that the second detector has a second radiation sensitivity to the X-ray radiation received from the X-ray generator;
• and
• communicatively coupling a control system to the first detector and the second detector to enable the control system to determine characteristics of the X-ray radiation based at least in part on a first radiation dose measured by the first detector and a second radiation dose measured by the second detector.