The design and performance of a high sensitivity monolithic X-ray detector array fabricated by depositing CdTe photodiodes on CdWO4 scintillators for computed tomography (CT) are presented. CdTe photodiodes offer improved sensitivity due to the better match to the CdWO4 scintillator emission spectrum than the Si photodiodes used in current CT scanners. A CdTe photodiode fabricated on glass mechanically stacked to a CdWO4 scintillator showed 30% improvement in signal strength over Si photodiodes stacked to CdWO4-. Monolithic X-ray detector arrays were fabricated by depositing a CdTe photodiode structure on CdWO4 using close-spaced sublimation technique. Preliminary results on the detector's X-ray response, signalto- noise ratio and the X-ray temporal response show that monolithic CdTe X-ray detectors are suitable for practical CT scanner applications.

A mixed signal Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chip for front end readout electronics of position sensitive solid state detectors has been manufactured. It is called RENA (Readout Electronics for Nuclear Applications). This chip can be used for both medical and industrial imaging of x-rays and gamma rays. The RENA chip is a monolithic integrated circuit and has 32 channels with low noise high input impedance charge sensitive amplifiers. It works in pulse counting mode with good energy resolution. It also has a self triggering output which is essential for nuclear applications when the incident radiation arrives at random. Different, externally selectable, operational modes that includes a sparse readout mode is available to increase data throughput. It also has externally selectable shaping (peaking) times.

Electrical characterization (current versus voltage and capacitance versus voltage) of nonstoichiometric amorphous boron phosphide Schottky diodes for neutron detection is presented. These results are incorporated in a Monte Carlo model of detector response to determine material requirements for a boron phosphide neutron counter.

In this paper, we present the results of investigations on the use of semiconductors deposited by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) for the fabrication of neutron detectors. For this purpose, 20 μm thick hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) pin diodes and 100 μm thick polycrystalline diamond resistive detectors were fabricated. The detectors were coupled to a neutron-charged particle converter : a layer of either gadolinium or boron (isotope 10 enriched) deposited by evaporation. We have demonstrated the capability of such neutron detectors to operate at neutron fluxes ranging from 101 to 106 neutrons/cm2.s. The fabrication of large area detectors for neutron counting or cartography through the use of multichannel reading circuits is discussed. The advantages of these detectors include the ability to produce large area detectors at low cost, radiation hardness (∼ 4 Mrad for a-Si:H and ∼ 100 Mrad for diamond), and for diamond, operation at temperatures up to 500°C. These properties enable the use of these devices for neutron detection in harsh environments. Thermal neutron detection efficiency up to 22 % and 3 % are expected by coupling a-Si:H diodes and diamond detectors to 3 μm thick gadolinium (isotope 157) and 2 μm thick boron layers, respectively.

Single crystals of InI (Eg = 2.01 eV at 300K) have been grown by vertical Bridgman technique using zone refined (ZR) starting materials. The quality of the grown crystal has been evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Chemically etched crystal wafer has been used to fabricate optical and nuclear detectors. The results are presented in this paper.

CdTe epilayers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on As-passivated nominal (211) Si substrates using thin interfacial ZnTe layers. By using thin recrystallized (initially amorphous) ZnTe buffer layers, we utilized migration enhanced epitaxy (MEE) in the ZnTe layer and overcome the tendency toward three dimensional nucleation. The threading dislocation densities in 8–9 μm thick CdTe films deposited on the recrystallized amorphous ZnTe films were in the range of 2 to 5 × 105 cm−2. In addition to the reduction of threading dislocation density, the interface between the ZnTe layers and the Si substrate is much smoother and the microtwin density is an order of magnitude lower than in regular MEE growth. In order to understand the initial nucleation mechanism of the ZnTe on the As precursor Si surface, we also grew ZnTe epilayers on Te precursor treated Si substrates. The growth mode, microtwin density, and threading dislocation density are compared for films grown on Si substrates with different surface precursors and grown by different growth methods.

Spectral ellipsometry (SE) was applied to in situ composition control of Hg1−xCdxTe grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and the impact of surface topography of the Hg1−xCdxTe layers on the accuracy of SE was investigated. Of particular importance is the presence of surface defects, such as voids in MBE- Hg1−xCdx.Te layers. While dislocations do not have any significant impact on the dielectric functions, the experimental data in this work show that MBE- Hg1−xCdxTe samples having the same composition, but different void densities, have different effective dielectric functions.

In this paper we discuss our ab initio calculations of native point defect and impurity densities in HgCdTe. Our calculations have explained the experimental finding in general, and in particular have explained the in-active incorporation of the group VII elements under mercury-deficient conditions; have shown that the group I elements have a large fraction of interstitial incorporation, thereby explaining their fast diffusion; and have described a microscopic mechanism for the amphoteric behavior of the group V elements. We discuss the trends found among the compounds in terms of the underlying bond strengths to understand why the various elements behave the way they do.

We studied the characteristics of deep-level traps in p-type HgCdTe diodes using the Deep Level Transient Fourier Spectroscopy (DLTFS) method. For both holes and electrons, two types of traps were observed. The DLTFS signal intensity of one type of trap increased with the carrier density in the HgCdTe, while the other did not exhibit a monotonic increase. While measuring the stability of these traps during cooling cycles, the DLTFS signal intensity of the first group was almost constant while that of the latter fluctuated with every cooling cycle. Stable traps originated from Hg vacancies, unstable traps are attributed to vacancy-impurity complex defects.

Mercury annealing of reactive ion etching (RIE) induced p- to n-type conversion in extrinsically doped p-type epitaxial layers of HgCdTe (x=0.31) has been used to reconvert n-type conversion sustained during RIE processing. For the RIE processing conditions used (400mT, CH4/H2, 90 W) p- to n-type conversion was observed using laser beam induced current (LBIC) measurements. After a sealed tube mercury anneal at 200°C for 17 hours, LBIC measurements clearly indicated no n-type converted region remained. Subsequent Hall measurements confirmed that the material consisted of a p-type layer, with electrical properties equivalent to that of the initial as-grown wafer (NA-ND=2× 1016 cm−3, μ=350 cm2.V−1.−1).

Significant improvements of a previously reported etching process [1] for Hg1−xCdxTe have been achieved with respect to etch rate, surface morphology and surface stoichiometry by optimization of the process parameters. The gas phase and surface reactions driving the etching process have been analyzed by combined optical and electrical characterization of the plasma and surface analyses of the samples. A reaction scheme is suggested which allows to model and upscale the process in a consistent manner.

Doping of the lead telluride - narrow-gap semiconductor - with gallium results under certain conditions in the Fermi level pinning in the gap thus providing the semiinsulating state of material. Besides that, the persistent photoconductivity effect is observed at a temperatures T < Tc = 80 K. The photoresponse kinetics consists of two parts: the slow one with the characteristic time tchar going up to 104 s at T = 4.2 K, and the fast part with tchar, of the order of 10 ms. We have measured the spectra of a fast part of the photoresponse using the Fouriertransform spectrometer “Bruker” IFS- 113v. The photoconductivity is observed in two spectral regions: in the middle- and far - infrared. Response in the middle-infrared consists of the ordinary fundamental band and a strong superimposed resonance-like structure just at the bandgap energy. The position of this spectral line may be tuned in a wide range (3.5–5.5) μm by variation of temperature and/or composition of a lead telluride-based alloy. This middle-infrared photoresponse becomes considerable already at T = 160 K. The photoresponse in the far-infrared may be depending on the excitation conditions an analogous resonance-like structure at a wavelength 70 μm, or a broad band with the cutoff wavelength at least higher than 500 μm, which is the highest cutoff wavelength for the photon detectors observed up to date.

Crack-free layers of PbSe were grown on Si (100) by a combination of liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) techniques. The PbSe layer was grown by LPE on Si (100) using a MBE-grown PbSe/BaF2/CaF2 buffer layer structure. Pb1−xSnxSe layers with tin contents in the liquid growth solution equal to 3%, 5%, 6%, 7%, and 10%, respectively, were also grown by LPE on Si (100) substrates using similar buffer layer structures. The LPE-grown PbSe and Pb1−xSnxSe layers were characterized by optical Nomarski microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical Nomarski characterization of the layers revealed their excellent surface morphologies and good growth solution wipe-offs. FTIR transmission experiments showed that the absorption edge of the Pb1−xSnxSe layers shifted to lower energies with increasing tin contents. The PbSe epilayers were also lifted-off from the Si substrate by dissolving the MBE-grown BaF2 buffer layer. SEM micrographs of the cleaved edges revealed that the lifted-off layers formed structures suitable for laser fabrication.