Radiation detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018024254-A1
Application number	US-201615549935-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 12, 2016
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Jan 25, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Technologies are described for semiconductor radiation detectors. The semiconductor radiation detectors may comprise a semiconductor material. The semiconductor material may include a first surface and a second surface. The first surface may be opposite from the second surface. The semiconductor material may include at least one metal component. The semiconductor material may be effective to absorb radiation and induce a current pulse in response thereto. The semiconductor radiation detector may comprise an electrode contact. The electrode contact may include a metal doped oxide deposited on the first surface of the semiconductor material. The metal doped oxide may include the metal component element of the semiconductor material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A semiconductor radiation detector, the semiconductor radiation detector comprising:
a semiconductor material including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being opposite from the second surface, the semiconductor material including at least one metal component, the semiconductor material effective to absorb radiation and induce a current pulse in response thereto; an electrode contact that includes a metal doped oxide deposited on the first surface of the semiconductor material, wherein the metal doped oxide includes an oxide of the metal component element of the semiconductor material.

2 . The semiconductor radiation detector of claim 1 , wherein the oxide includes one of zinc, cadmium or zinc plus cadmium.

3 . The semiconductor radiation detector of claim 1 , wherein the metal doped oxide is doped with one of aluminum, indium, or silver.

4 . The semiconductor radiation detector of claim 1 , wherein the metal doped oxide is aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) or aluminum doped cadmium oxide (Al:CdO).

5 . The semiconductor radiation detector of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor material is one of CdZnTe, thallium bromide, CdMnTe, CdTeSe or CdZnTeSe.

6 . The semiconductor radiation detector of claim 1 , wherein the metal doped oxide is aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) and the semiconductor material is CdZnTe.

7 . A semiconductor radiation detector system, the semiconductor radiation detector system, comprising:
a semiconductor material having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being opposite from the second surface, the semiconductor material including at least one metal component, the semiconductor material effective to absorb radiation and induce a current pulse in response thereto; a readout circuit; and at least one first electrode contact attached to the first surface and at least one second electrode contact attached to the second surface, wherein the first electrode contact and the second electrode contact are conductively connected to the readout circuit and the first electrode contact includes a metal doped oxide where the metal doped oxide includes an oxide of the metal component of the semiconductor material.

8 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a radiation generator, wherein the radiation generator is effective to direct radiation towards the semiconductor material.

9 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a radiation generator, wherein the radiation generator is effective to direct radiation towards the semiconductor material; and a gantry, wherein the gantry is configured to support and maneuver a test sample within the radiation directed towards the semiconductor material by the radiation generator.

10 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a radiation generator, wherein the radiation generator is effective to direct radiation towards the semiconductor material; and a gantry, wherein the gantry is configured to support and maneuver the radiation generator to direct radiation towards a test sample.

11 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor material, the first electrode contact, and the second electrode contact form a detector unit, and the semiconductor radiation system further comprises:
an array of detector units, wherein each detector unit is conductively connected to the readout circuit.

12 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 7 , wherein the first electrode contact and the second electrode contact include the same material and form Ohmic connections between the first and second electrode contacts and the readout circuit.

13 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 7 , wherein the first electrode contact includes a different material from the second electrode contact and the first and second electrode contacts form Schottky connections between the first and second electrode contacts and the readout circuit.

14 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 8 , wherein the metal doped oxide is aluminum doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) or aluminum doped cadmium oxide (Al:CdO).

15 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 8 , wherein the semiconductor material is one of CdZnTe, thallium bromide, CdMnTe, CdTeSe, or CdZnTeSe.

16 . The semiconductor radiation detector system of claim 8 , wherein
the metal doped oxide is aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) and the semiconductor material is CdZnTe.

17 . A method of making a radiation detector, the method comprising:
receiving a semiconductor material having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being opposite from the second surface, the semiconductor material including at least one metal component, the semiconductor material effective to absorb radiation and induce a current pulse in response thereto; depositing a metal doped oxide on the first surface of the semiconductor material, wherein the oxide includes a component element of the semiconductor material; and depositing the metal doped oxide on the second surface of the semiconductor material.

18 . The method of making a radiation detector of claim 17 , wherein the metal doped oxide is aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) or aluminum doped cadmium oxide (Al:CdO).

19 . The method of making a radiation detector of claim 17 , wherein the semiconductor material is one of CdZnTe, thallium bromide, CdMnTe, CdTeSe, or CdZnTeSe.

20 . The method of making a radiation detector of claim 17 , wherein the metal doped oxide is aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) and the semiconductor material is CdZnTe.

Assignees

• Brookhaven Science Ass Llc
• Norfolk State Univ

Inventors

• Roy Utpal N
• James Ralph B
• Bolotnikov Aleksey
• Camarda Giuseppe
• Cui Yonggang
• Hossain Anwar
• Yang Ge
• Pradhan Aswini
• Mundle Raj Eh

Classifications

• G01T1/247

  Detector read-out circuitry (for processing gain or off-set correction H04N) · CPC title

• G01T1/241 Primary

  Electrode arrangements, e.g. continuous or parallel strips or the like · CPC title