Abstract A new position-sensing X-ray detector is presented. The novel device is called Controlled-Drift Detector (CDD). The detector is fully depleted and is operated by switching between integration and drift modes. The relevant details of the detector design are discussed. A complete experimental characterization of the fast readout of the integrated signal charges achievable with static drift "elds in the range 100}400 V/cm has been carried out. Preliminary measurements to evaluate the charge-handling capacity are also shown. The CDD can provide unambiguous two-dimensional position measurement, high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy and time resolution below 1 ms
