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CdZnTeSe: Recent Advances for Radiation Detector Applications

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High-Z Materials for X-ray Detection

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Abstract

The quest for cost-effective, high performing room temperature semiconductor detector (RTSD) materials for high-energy gamma rays has been continuing for more than three decades. The requirements for RTSD materials, however, are more stringent as compared to other applications unrelated to detection of X- and gamma rays, mainly due to the requirement of thick detectors for sufficient absorption of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. The II–VI compound CdZnTe (CZT) with the composition of 10 atomic % of Zn (Cd0.9Zn0.1Te) has been the material of choice over the past several years, and it has dominated the market for RTSD materials. Despite its commercial success as a room-temperature radiation detection material, CZT suffers from a lack of compositional homogeneity on both a micro- and macro-scale and the presence of high concentrations of sub-grain boundary (dislocation walls) networks and secondary phases (Te-rich inclusions). This chapter focuses on the presence of performance-limiting defects in CZT that hinder the yield and elevate the cost of high-quality detectors. The presence of such performance-limiting defects has restricted widespread deployment of CZT for a variety of potential applications, particularly for uses of relatively large detectors where the demands on material perfection are significantly greater. In the recent past, replacing some of the tellurium with selenium in the CZT matrix was found to be very effective in a drastic reduction of Te-rich secondary phases and dislocation networks, plus allowing for better compositional homogeneity. The reduced concentrations of these intrinsic defects in the quaternary compound Cd1−xZnxTe1−ySey (CZTS) ensure improved spatial homogeneity of the charge-transport characteristics, which in turn enhances the detector performance and yield. This chapter will provide an overview of recent developments to optimize the composition and charge transport of the quaternary CdZnTeSe material as a potential next-generation detector material operable at room temperature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC, USA

    Utpal N. Roy & Ralph B. James

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  1. Utpal N. Roy
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  2. Ralph B. James
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Correspondence to Utpal N. Roy .

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  1. Department of Physics and Chemistry (DiFC) - Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Leonardo Abbene

  2. Redlen Technologies, Saanichton, BC, Canada

    Krzysztof (Kris) Iniewski

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Roy, U.N., James, R.B. (2023). CdZnTeSe: Recent Advances for Radiation Detector Applications. In: Abbene, L., Iniewski, K.(. (eds) High-Z Materials for X-ray Detection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20955-0_8

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