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Halide perovskites have demonstrated great potential in x-ray detectors, due to their high x-ray attenuation coefficient, large bulk resistance, ultralong carrier diffusion length, and adjustable bandgap. Moreover, their abundant raw materials and simple processing combined with excellent compatibility with integrated circuits make them ideal for cost-efficient and high-efficiency real-world imaging applications. Herein, we comprehensively reviewed advances and progress in x-ray detection devices based on halide perovskites. We expound on the fundamental mechanisms of interactions between x rays and matter as background and indicate different parameters for different types of x-ray detectors, which guides the basic requirements on how to select and design suitable materials for active layers. After emphasizing the superb properties of halide perovskites through the shortcomings of commercial materials, we evaluate the latest advancements and ongoing progress in halide perovskites with different dimensions and structures for both direct and indirect x-ray detectors, and discuss the effect of dimensional varieties on the device performance. We also highlight current challenges in the area of perovskite x-ray detectors and propose corresponding solutions to optimize halide perovskites and optimize x-ray detectors for next-generation imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the self-collimation phenomenon in photonic crystals (PhC) of wide bandgap materials for ultra-fast and high spatial resolution x-ray detection. We work on various heavy inorganic scintillators: BaF2, GaN, ZnO, CsI:Tl, NaI:Tl, LYSO, WO4 compounds, and plastic scintillators. Conventional scintillator detectors do not rely on a direct detection mechanism; hence, they require intricate design and fabrication processes. We offer a PhC design to observe self-collimation phenomena and overcome the ongoing spatial resolution challenges with these types of materials. We investigate the photonic band diagrams and iso-frequency contours. Fourier transforms based on finite-difference time-domain and frequency domain simulations are done for verifying and analyzing the self-collimation with the selected material. Light extraction efficiency at the PhC–air interface, depending on the truncation distance from the excitation point, is measured. Beam divergence values are calculated at 1 mm propagation distance. The vertical field profiles are obtained to observe the confinement. For the spatial resolution analysis, cross-sectional beam profiles have been examined. Gaussian envelopes are fitted to beam profiles for a consistent data analysis, and full-width-at-half-maximum values are considered. As a result, we theoretically prove and demonstrate the spatially resolved x-ray detection at the sub-micrometer level for a wide range of scintillator materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are demonstrated to be appealing semiconductors for optoelectronic applications, thanks to their remarkable properties in the ultraviolet-visible spectral range. Interestingly, TMDCs have not yet been characterized when exposed to x rays, although they would be ideal candidates for optoelectronic applications in this spectral range. They benefit from the high cross section of the constituent heavy atoms, while keeping the absorption very low, due to the ultrathin structure of the film. This encourages the development of photodetectors based on TMDCs for several applications dealing with x rays, such as radioprotection, medical treatments, and diagnosis. Given the atomic thickness of TMDCs, they can be expected to perform well at low dose measurements with minimal perturbation of the radiation beam, which is required for in vivo applications. In this paper, the use of TMDCs as active materials for direct x-ray detection is demonstrated, using a photodetector based on a MoS2 monolayer (1L-MoS2). The detector shows a response to x rays in the range of 101–102 keV, at dose rates as low as fractions of mGy/s. The sensitivity of 1L-MoS2 reaches values in the range of 108–109µC Gy−1 cm−3, overcoming the values reported for most of the organic and inorganic materials. To improve the x-ray photoresponse even further, the 1L-MoS2 was coupled with a polymeric film integrating a scintillator based on terbium-doped gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S:Tb). The resulting signal was three times larger, enabled by the indirect x ray to visible photoconversion mechanism. This paper might pave the way toward the production of ultrathin real-time dosimeters for in vivo applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the large x-ray attenuation coefficient, appropriate bandgap, high resistivity, and high mobility-lifetime (μτ) product, binary II–VI semiconductor CdSe is a promising x-ray detection material and it has exhibited excellent x-ray detection at room temperature (RT). For further improving the characteristics of CdSe x-ray detectors, the electrical properties of CdSe single crystals (SCs) grown through the pressure-assisted vertical Bridgman method and their x-ray detection performance have been investigated at RT and liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT), respectively. The significantly enhanced x-ray photocurrent and the prolonged response time of the devices operating at LNT indicate the photogenerated carrier lifetime could be increased by the enhanced trapping–detrapping effect obviously, and the μτ product of CdSe SCs increases from 1.39 × 10−5 to 5.34 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 with temperature lowering from RT to LNT. Meanwhile, an ultrahigh sensitivity of 5.24 × 106μC Gyair−1 cm−2 and an extremely low detection limit of 3.68 nGyair s−1 have been acquired by the CdSe SC based x-ray detectors at LNT, which is 140 times higher and 5.8 times lower than it has been at RT. Compared with conventional semiconductor x-ray detectors, the ultra-high sensitivity and extremely low detection limit of CdSe SC based detectors make their application prospects very promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a large size x-ray detector with a 25 mm2 active area is demonstrated based on a thick 4H-SiC p-i-n structure. The detector exhibits obvious merits of high photon sensitivity over 4 × 104μC Gy−1 cm−2, good photon-response linearity, and high-temperature operation compatibility. Meanwhile, due to the ultralow leakage current level achieved, single photon detection performance for x-ray photons is further realized with energy resolutions of 1.1 and 4.9 keV at 5.9 and 59.5 keV, respectively. This work thus suggests the significant potentials of wide-bandgap SiC semiconductor for photon-resolved x-ray detection in a harsh environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-grain-sized polycrystalline diamond films are fabricated by electron assisted chemical vapor deposition. A pure SP3 carbon bond in the cubic lattice structure is confirmed by Raman spectrum analysis. The grain size is on the order of several hundreds of μm or larger. Interlaced-finger electrodes are imprinted onto a 6 × 6 mm2 × 500 µm film to fabricate the x-ray detector. The width of every finger is 25 µm, and the distance between nearby fingers is 25 μm. Strong x ray irradiates when a pulsed current flows through a double-layer nested tungsten wire array in the Z-pinch. This diamond detector now works as one of the main x-ray detectors for the Z-pinch device. The diamond detector is calibrated using a plastic scintillator. The comparison between the signal measured by these two methods confirms that the large-grain-sized polycrystalline diamond is a good candidate for the detection of nanosecond pulsed x ray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doped and stabilized amorphous selenium (a-Se) alloys in a multilayer form are currently used as a photoconductor in direct conversion flat panel x-ray imagers in mammography and tomosynthesis. While much progress has been made on the physics of such detectors, there are still unresolved questions on such issues as the principles of operation of the so-called p-i-n detector structure in extinguishing the dark current. The present paper examines dark current transients after the application of a voltage in seven types of a-Se alloy based devices: i-layer, i-n, n-i, i-p, p-i, p-i-n, and n-i-p structures. The substrate was ITO coated glass, the top (radiation receiving) electrode was chromium, and the films were fabricated by vacuum deposition. The nominal device thickness was 200 μm, similar to commercial mammographic detectors. It is shown that n-i, i-n, n-i-p, and p-i-n devices have dark currents less than 1 pA mm−2 at an applied field of 10 V/μm. The dark current in the p-i-n device is the lowest at approximately 0.01 pA mm−2 at an applied field of 10 V μm−1. Experiments have been carried out by subjecting the detector to a staircase voltage-time profile during the voltage application (turn-on) and a staircase voltage ramp-down during the turning-off of the bias voltage. Step-voltage ramp-up and step-voltage ramp-down current transient are typical of expected dark current transient behavior in a semiconductor with traps in which carriers are captured and released from various trap centers in the bandgap. The dark current transients are qualitatively similar to those expected from a capacitor in parallel with a large resistor and both in series with a much smaller resistor. Current transients during charging and discharging experiments were integrated to find how much of the injected charge is released during discharge experiments. It is shown that the majority of this trapped charge is stored in the n-type and p-type blocking layers, near the contacts. The trapped carriers in the i-layer represent a very small portion. The evolution of the dark current upon single and repeated x-ray exposure has also been examined in n-i and p-i-n devices. Right after the cessation of irradiation, there is an excess or residual dark current whose magnitude is roughly ∼20 times higher in p-i-n and about ∼2 times higher in the case of n-i under an exposure of 3.36 R and a mean photon energy of 34.2 keV. The absorbed dose is 1.53 Gy. The excess dark current has a fast decay component with a time constant ∼10 s and a slow component with a time constant ∼100 s. It is shown that the decay in the irradiation induced excess dark current is very similar to the initial dark current. There is no permanent change in the dark current, and within a few hundred seconds, the dark current reaches the same level as that in the unexposed detector. The experimental results in this work highlight the distinct advantages of p-i-n and n-i-type a-Se multilayer structures in x-ray detection applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]