Novel Method for Growth of Detector-Grade CZT Crystals

CdZnTe remains the material of choice for room temperature semiconductor detection of X- and -ray radiation, but the availability of high performance material is limited and the cost is very high. The goal of this project is to develop a new technology for production of large volumes of CZT single crystals with a high yield of detector-grade CZT crystals. In Phase I we demonstrated the viability of this technology and produced a CZT detector with a lifetime-mobility product value of 10-2cm2/V. The Phase II effort will focus on growth of large diameter crystals of high compositional uniformity, and on engineering of native point defects and second phase precipitates to produce high resistivity, high lifetime-mobility product, and high resolution detectors. The unique capabilities of the growth process under development will be leveraged to achieve these goals. The success of this program promises to result in higher availability and lower cost of large volume detectors needed for homeland security and medical applications.Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Wide band gap semiconductors such as CdZnte are exceptionally suitable for detection of nuclear radiation. They have applications as inspection tools in homeland security, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and scinti- mammography in medicine, and nuclear energy monitoring devices