Cadmium Zinc Telluride

Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors are having a major impact on the field of hard X-ray astronomy. Without the need for cryogenic cooling they achieve good spatial and energy resolutions over the broad energy range from 10 keV to 600 keV. In this paper, we briefly review the historical development of detectors used in X-ray astronomy. Subsequently, we present an evaluation of CZT detectors from the company Imarad. The standard 2x2x0.5 cm detectors, contacted with 8x8 In pixels and an In cathode, exhibit FWHM energy resolutions of 7 keV at 59 keV, and 10 keV at 662 keV. A direct measurement of the 662 keV photopeak efficiency gives 67%. We have started a detailed study of the performance of Imarad detectors depending on surface preparation, contact materials, contact deposition, post-deposition detector annealing, and detector passivation techniques. We present first results from contacting detectors with Cr, Ag, Au, and Pt.

In this paper we show the latest achievements of HgCdTe-based infrared bispectral focal plane arrays (FPAs) at LETI infrared laboratory. We present and compare the two different pixel architectures that are studied now in our laboratory, named “NPN” and “pseudo-planar”. With these two technologies, a wide range of system applications in dual-band detection can be covered. Advantages of both architectures will be pointed out. We also review performances obtained with these different architectures. The first one has been studied for several years in our laboratory, and we review results obtained on FPAs of size 256 × 256 pixels on a 25 μm pitch, in the MWIR/MWIR (3 μm/5 μm) range. Very high noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) operability is obtained, at 99.8% for the λc = 3 μm band and 98.7% for the λc = 5 μm band. The second one has been developed more recently, to address other applications that need temporal coherence as well as spatial coherence. We show detailed performances measured on pseudo-planar type FPAs of size 256 × 256 pixels on a 30 μm pitch, in the MWIR/LWIR (5 μm/9 μm) range. The results are also very promising for these prototypes, with NETD as low as 15 mK for an integration time as short as 1 ms, and good operability. The main manufacturing issues are also presented and discussed for both pixel architectures. Challenging process steps are, firstly, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) HgCdTe heterostructure growth, on large substrates (cadmium zinc telluride) and heterosubstrates (germanium), and, secondly, detector array fabrication on a nonplanar surface. In particular, trenches or hole etching steps, photolithography and hybridization are crucial to improve uniformity, number of defects and performances. Some results of surface, structural and electrical characterizations are shown to illustrate these issues. On the basis of these results, the short-term and long-term objectives and trends for our research and development are presented, in terms of pixel pitch reduction, wavelengths, and dual-band FPA size.

In this paper, the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector samples for digital radiography has been measured. Specifically, this study is aimed at investigating the zero-frequency DQE(0) under different X-ray tube and detector parameters. The experimental results of this study indicate that the DQE(0) of the CZT samples is strongly dependent upon the irradiation geometry. This

In the present work, multicomponent tellurite glasses were elaborated by the melt quench technique with different concentrations of Er 3 þ ions. Amorphous nature of all the glasses was confirmed using X-ray diffraction patterns. The thermal parameters, such as glass transition temperature (T g) and the onset of crystallization temperature (T X), were determined by the differential scanning calorimetry. Judd–Ofelt parameters were derived for 0.5 mol% Er 3 þ-doped glass from the absorption measurements, and in turn, used to find the radiative properties of 4 S 3/2 , 2 H 11/2 and 4 I 11/2 levels of Er 3 þ ion. A green emission corresponding to 4 S 3/2-4 I 15/2 and 2 H 11/2-4 I 15/2 transitions of Er 3 þ ions was observed in the glasses under investigation. Efficient green upconversion luminescence was observed under 976 nm excitation. The emission bands centered at 529 and 543 nm confirmed that two photons contribute to the upconversion processes. We have also analyzed the dependence of downconversion as well as upconversion as a function of Er 3 þ ion concentration, which shows quenching of photoluminescence intensity above 0.5 mol% doping. From the emission spectra, CIE color coordinates of 0.5 mol% Er 3 þ-doped glass was examined. Fluorescence decay curves for the 4 S 3/2-4 I 15/2 transition for all the doped glasses have been measured and analyzed. Absorption cross-section and calculated emission cross-section, using the McCumber method, for the 4 I 13/2 2 4 I 15/2 transitions were evaluated and discussed.

We explore the possibility to improve the performance of 0.5 cm thick cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors with the help of steering grids on the anode side of the detectors. Steering grids can improve the energy resolution of CZT detectors by enhancing the small pixel effect; furthermore, they can increase their detection efficiency by steering electrons to the anode pixels which otherwise would drift to the area between pixels. Previously, the benefit of steering grids had been compromised by additional noise associated with ...

The spectral resolution of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) room temperature nuclear radiation detectors is often limited by the presence of conducting surface species that increase the surface leakage current. Surface passivation plays an important role in reducing this surface leakage current and thereby decreasing the noise of the detectors and improving the spectral energy resolution. Chemical etching with a Br-MeOH solution leaves CZT surfaces rich in Te and is considered as one of the primary causes of the increased surface leakage current. Previous studies have shown that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) forms oxides of tellurium on the CZT surface and thus acts as a good passivating agent. In this study we will present results on the use of potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an alternative passivating agent. The KOH aqueous solution leaves a more stoichiometric (evaluated from the trends in the surface Cd:Te ratio) and smoother CZT surface. The passivation effects of KOH solution on the surface of the CZT have been characterized by current-voltage measurements for different KOH concentrations and etching times for both parallel strip electrodes as well as a metal-semiconductor-metal configuration. The surface chemical composition and its morphology were studied by scanning x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The comparison and demonstration of improvements in the spectral resolution of the CZT detectors (based on 241Am spectra) with and without the KOH treatment are presented.

The efficiency of CdTe based solar cell can be increased using ternary CdZnTe material as absorber layer. Cd1-xZnxTe has tunable bandgap depending on the composition. In this work the bandgap of CdZnTe layer (1.57 eV) which is in the optimum range, can be achieved with Zn composition of x=0.1. First the carrier concentration of absorber layer in the baseline case is increased then the thicknesses of absorber layer and window layer in the conventional baseline case are reduced and optimized. Finally an optimized cell structure is proposed. After optimization, the total thickness of the baseline case cell is reduced by factor four and results high efficiency. The cell structure in both baseline case and modified cell is: (SnO2/CdS/CdZnTe/Back Contact), however some material parameters are different. The performance parameters are found better in the optimized cell structure. We also investigated the effect of ZnO buffer layer and the operating temperature on the performance parameters.

The material showing the greatest promise today for production of large-volume gamma-ray spectrometers operable at room temperature is cadmium zinc telluride (CZT). Unfortunately, because of deficiencies in the quality of the present material, high-resolution CZT spectrometers have thus far been limited to relatively small dimensions, which makes them inefficient at detecting high photon energies and ineffective for weak radiation signals except in near proximity. To exploit CZT fully, it will be necessary to make substantial improvements in the material quality. Improving the material involves advances in the crystallinity, purity, carrier lifetimes, and control of the electrical compensation mechanism. A more detailed understanding of the underlying material problems limiting the performance of CZT gamma-ray detectors is required; otherwise, problems with supply, delivery times, and unit cost of large-volume (>5 cm3 active volume) CZT spectrometers are expected to continue. A variety of analytical and numerical techniques have been employed to quantify crystallinity, strain, impurities, compositional and stoichiometric variations, bulk and surface defect states, carrier mobilities and lifetimes, electric field distributions, and surface passivation. Data from these measurements were correlated with spatial maps of the gamma-ray and alpha particle spectroscopic response, and feedback on the effectiveness of crystal growth and detector fabrication procedures has been generated. The results of several of these analytical techniques will be presented in this paper.

The onboard software and data communication in the RT-2 Experiment onboard the Coronas–Photon satellite is organized in a hierarchical way to effectively handle and communicate asynchronous data generated by the X-ray detectors. A flexible data handling system is organized in the X-ray detector packages themselves and the processing electronic device, namely RT-2/E, has the necessary intelligence to communicate with the three scientific payloads by issuing commands and receiving data. It has direct interfacing with the Satellite systems and issues commands to the detectors and processes the detector data before sending to the satellite systems. The onboard software is configured with several novel features like (a) device independent communication scheme, (b) loss-less data compression and (c) Digital Signal Processor. Functionality of the onboard software along with the data structure, command structure, complex processing scheme etc. are discussed in this paper.

In medical imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can provide specific functional information while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide high spatial resolution anatomical information as well as complementary functional information. In this study, we developed a miniaturized dual-modality SPECT/MRI (MRSPECT) system and demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous SPECT and MRI data acquisition, with the possibility of whole-body MRSPECT systems through suitable scaling of components. For our MRSPECT system, a cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) nuclear radiation detector was interfaced with a specialized radiofrequency (RF) coil and placed within a whole-body 4 T MRI system. Various phantom experiments characterized the interaction between the SPECT and MRI hardware components. The metallic components of the SPECT hardware altered the B0 field and generated a non-uniform reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the MR images. The presence of a magnetic field generated a position shift and resolution loss in the nuclear projection data. Various techniques were proposed to compensate for these adverse effects. Overall, our results demonstrate that accurate, simultaneous SPECT and MRI data acquisition is feasible, justifying the further development of MRSPECT for either small-animal imaging or whole-body human systems by using appropriate components.

We report for the first time on the characteristics of large volume (4 cm×4 cm×0.5 cm) cadmium zinc telluride gamma-ray imaging arrays produced by IMARAD Imaging Systems. These arrays are shown to posses high uniformity of response to gamma-photons in the energy range of about 50 to over 600 keV. High resolution photopeaks have been obtained without any pulse processing or compensation techniques. Excellent peak-to-valley ratios, good efficiencies, and acceptable leakage currents have been measured. In addition measurements of the internal electric field indicate that the field is uniform and does not appear to be confined to only one region of the detector volume. Low temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy shows that the dominant peaks are different than those typically observed in high quality HPB material of the same composition obtained from other vendors. We believe that this material and the arrays that may be produced from it represent a significant step forward in the technology of room temperature semiconductor gamma and x-ray spectrometers.

The spectral resolution of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) room temperature nuclear radiation detectors is often limited by the presence of conducting surface species that increase the surface leakage current. Surface passivation plays an important role in reducing this surface leakage current and thereby decreasing the noise of the detectors and improving the spectral energy resolution. Chemical etching with a Br-MeOH solution leaves CZT surfaces rich in Te and is considered as one of the primary causes of the increased ...

Imaging in hard X-rays of any astrophysical source with high angular resolution is a challenging job. Shadow-casting technique is one of the most viable options for imaging in hard X-rays. We have used two different types of shadow-casters, namely, Coded Aperture Mask (CAM) and Fresnel Zone Plate (FZP) pair and two types of pixellated solid-state detectors, namely, CZT and CMOS in RT-2/CZT payload, the hard X-ray imaging instrument onboard the CORONAS-PHOTON satellite. In this paper, we present the results of simulations with different combinations of coders (CAM & FZP) and detectors that are employed in the RT-2/CZT payload. We discuss the possibility of detecting transient Solar flares with good angular resolution for various combinations. Simulated results are compared with laboratory experiments to verify the consistency of the designed configuration.

The first space-borne solar astronomy experiment of India, namely “Solar X-ray Spectrometer (SOXS)”, was successfully launched on 08 May 2003 on board geostationary satellite GSAT-2 of India. The SOXS is composed of two independent payloads, viz. SOXS Low-Energy Detector (SLD) Payload and SOXS High-Energy Detector (SHD) Payload. The SOXS aims to study the full-disk integrated X-ray emission in the energy range from 4 keV to 10 MeV. In this paper we present the first report on the SLD instrumentation and its in-orbit performance. The SLD payload was designed and developed at the Physical Research Laboratory in collaboration with various centers of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The basic scientific aim of the SLD payload is to study solar flares in the energy range from 4 to 60 keV with high spectral and temporal resolution. To meet these requirements, the SLD payload employs state-of-the-art solid state detectors, the first time for a solar astronomy experiment, viz. Si PIN (4 –25 keV), and cadmium–zinc–telluride (4 –60 keV). With their superb high-energy resolution characteristics, SLD can observe iron and iron–nickel complex lines that are visible only during solar flares. In view of its 3.4∘ FOV, the detector package is mounted on a Sun Aspect System, for the first time, to get uninterrupted observations in a geostationary orbit. The SLD payload configuration, its in-flight operation, and the response of the detectors are presented. We also present the first observations of solar flares made by the SLD payload and briefly describe their temporal and spectral mode results.

CdZnTe-based heterojunction p–i–n or M–π–n detectors using HgTe/HgCdTe superlattice contacts are modeled and designed to reduce leakage currents under high electric fields and thereby improve x-ray and γ-ray detector performance. The employment of an n-type HgTe/HgCdTe superlattice as a contact layer can theoretically result in significantly less leakage current compared with a contact layer using either bulk semiconductor or metal contacts. The benefits arise from the ability to design HgTe/HgCdTe superlattices to have large carrier effective masses in the electric field direction, which results in low carrier velocities. Nevertheless the density of states is lower than that of a comparable bulk semiconductor, which results in low carrier concentrations. KeywordsSuperlattice–cadmium zinc telluride–radiation detector–leakage current