Advances in CdZnTeSe for Radiation Detector Applications

• Main Authors: Utpal N. Roy, Giuseppe S. Camarda, Yonggang Cui, Ralph B. James
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Radiation
• Subjects: radiation detector; CdZnTeSe; X-ray topography; defects; Te inclusions
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-592X/1/2/11

Detection of X- and gamma-rays is essential to a wide range of applications from medical imaging to high energy physics, astronomy, and homeland security. Cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) is the most widely used material for room-temperature detector applications and has been fulfilling the requirements for growing detection demands over the last three decades. However, CZT still suffers from the presence of a high density of performance-limiting defects, such as sub-grain boundary networks and Te inclusions. Cadmium zinc telluride selenide (CZTS) is an emerging material with compelling properties that mitigate some of the long-standing issues seen in CZT. This new quaternary is free from sub-grain boundary networks and possesses very few Te inclusions. In addition, the material offers a high degree of compositional homogeneity. The advancement of CZTS has accelerated through investigations of the material properties and virtual Frisch-grid (VFG) detector performance. The excellent material quality with highly reduced performance-limiting defects elevates the importance of CZTS as a potential replacement to CZT at a substantially lower cost.