100
CdZnTe
Detector Advancement Through Defect Reduction--Fermionics
Corporation, 4555 Runway Street, Simi Valley, CA
93063-3479; 805-582-0155, www.fermionics.com
Dr.
Muren Chu, Principal Investigator, m.chu@fermionics.com
Dr.
Muren Chu, Business Official, m.chu@fermionics.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-04ER83955
Amount:
$100,000
CdTe
and CdZnTe materials have been studied for more than forty and twenty years,
respectively, for producing room-temperature gamma ray detectors for Nuclear
Physics research. Despite measurable
success in the application of the detectors, detector production yield has been
low and detector performance has been below the theoretical prediction.
The major handicap in advancing CdZnTe technology is a lack in
understanding the material properties. In
recent research, a comprehensive theoretical model was developed to interpret
defect dynamics in CdZnTe, leading to an innovative technique for reducing Cd
vacancies, one of the major defects that degrade the detector properties.
In this project, this defect reduction technique will be fully developed
to drastically reduce the density of all CdZnTe defects.
In Phase I, the Cd vacancy reduction technique will be advanced.
In addition, CdZnTe growth parameters will be significantly
modified to reduce Te antisites, the other major defect in CdZnTe.
Detectors will be fabricated with the advanced materials and tested.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits
as described by the awardee: Improved
CdZnTe detectors and imaging systems should have application to crystallography,
astronomy, security inspection, industrial process control, and medical imaging.
The annual market for x-ray and gamma ray equipment is in the billions of
dollars.