Nanosecond X-ray detector based on high resistivity ZnO single crystal semiconductor

Abstract

The pulse radiation detectors are sorely needed in the fields of nuclear reaction monitoring, material analysis, astronomy study, spacecraft navigation, and space communication. In this work, we demonstrate a nanosecond X-ray detector based on ZnO single crystal semiconductor, which emerges as a promising compound-semiconductor radiation detection material for its high radiation tolerance and advanced large-size bulk crystal growth technique. The resistivity of the ZnO single crystal is as high as 1013 Ω cm due to the compensation of the donor defects (VO) and acceptor defects (VZn and Oi) after high temperature annealing in oxygen. The photoconductive X-ray detector was fabricated using the high resistivity ZnO single crystal. The rise time and fall time of the detector to a 10 ps pulse electron beam are 0.8 ns and 3.3 ns, respectively, indicating great potential for ultrafast X-ray detection applications.

Tuning the Morphology and Properties of Nanostructured Cu-ZnO Thin Films Using a Two-Step Sputtering Technique

“…The resistivity of intrinsic ZnO thin films is generally very high, up to~10 5 Ωm [5] and >10 11 Ωm [6] in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the substrate, respectively. Recently, this high resistivity has been applied in fields such as radiation detection [7,8], but to use ZnO in practical photovoltaic applications, the resistivity should be reduced by either creating intrinsic defects, such as oxygen vacancies or metal interstitials, or by introducing extrinsic dopants. ZnO thin films prepared by the former technique may become deoxidized, resulting in a higher resistivity; hence, the latter technique is more desirable for high-temperature applications [6,9].…”

A self-powered solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on a Ag/ZnMgO/ZnO structure with fast response speed

“…[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Among these candidates, ZnMgO alloys have been regarded as one of the most promising wide bandgap materials for solar-blind UV photodetection due to their excellent material properties, including lower density of defects, environmental friendliness, and stronger radiation hardness. [20][21][22] In the past two decades, w-ZnMgO solar-blind UV photodetectors have been extensively studied by us and other groups. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Nowadays, energy-saving is a world-wide issue, and thus a photodetector without external power supply, usually known as a self-powered photodetector, is of signicant importance for the practical application.…”

Efficient Alpha Radiation Detector using Low Temperature Hydrothermally Grown ZnO:Ga Nanorod Scintillator

“…Epitaxial ZnO:In thin films on ZnO single crystal substrate in different indium concentrations, have shown as alpha radiation detector 13 . Zinc oxide single crystals, grown by several methods such as high-pressure direct melting technique 14,15 , hydrothermal 16 , vapor phase method 17 , are used for detection of alpha radiation and pulsed X-ray detection. Alpha excited scintillations for ZnO, ZnO:In, Li, ZnO:Ga and ZnO:Er, Li single crystals are studied and responses are compared with standard plastic scintillator detector 18 .…”