Integrated semiconductor quantum dot scintillation detector: Ultimate limit for speed and light yield

Oktyabrsky, Serge; Yakimov, Michael; Tokranov, Vadim; Murat, Pavel

doi:10.1109/TNS.2015.2502426

Title: Integrated semiconductor quantum dot scintillation detector: Ultimate limit for speed and light yield

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Abstract

Here, a picosecond-range timing of charged particles and photons is a long-standing challenge for many high-energy physics, biophysics, medical and security applications. We present a design, technological pathway and challenges, and some properties important for realization of an ultrafast high-efficient room-temperature semiconductor scintillator based on self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QD) embedded in a GaAs matrix. Low QD density (<; 10¹⁵ cm^-3), fast (~5 ps) electron capture, luminescence peak redshifted by 0.2-0.3 eV from GaAs absorption edge with fast decay time (0.5-1 ns) along with the efficient energy transfer in the GaAs matrix (4.2 eV/pair) allows for fabrication of a semiconductor scintillator with the unsurpassed performance parameters. The major technological challenge is fabrication of a large volume (> 1 cm³ ) of epitaxial QD medium. This requires multiple film separation and bonding, likely using separate epitaxial films as waveguides for improved light coupling. Compared to traditional inorganic scintillators, the semiconductor-QD based scintillators could have about 5x higher light yield and 20x faster decay time, opening a way to gamma detectors with the energy resolution better than 1% and sustaining counting rates MHz. Picosecond-scale timing requires segmented low-capacitance photodiodes integrated with the scintillator. For photons, the proposed detector inherently provides the depth-of-interactionmore » information.« less

Authors:

Oktyabrsky, Serge ^[1]; Yakimov, Michael ^[1]; Tokranov, Vadim ^[1]; Murat, Pavel ^[2]

SUNY Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Albany, NY (United States)
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

Publication Date:: Wed Mar 30 00:00:00 EDT 2016

Research Org.:: Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)

OSTI Identifier:: 1262337

Report Number(s):: FERMILAB-PUB-16-241-PPD
Journal ID: ISSN 0018-9499; 1466588

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-07CH11359

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 63; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0018-9499

Publisher:: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; optical waveguides; quantum dots; semiconductor radiation detectors; solid scintillation detectors

Citation Formats


                    Oktyabrsky, Serge, Yakimov, Michael, Tokranov, Vadim, and Murat, Pavel. Integrated semiconductor quantum dot scintillation detector: Ultimate limit for speed and light yield.  United States: N. p., 2016. 
Web.  doi:10.1109/TNS.2015.2502426.

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                    Oktyabrsky, Serge, Yakimov, Michael, Tokranov, Vadim, & Murat, Pavel. Integrated semiconductor quantum dot scintillation detector: Ultimate limit for speed and light yield.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2015.2502426

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                    Oktyabrsky, Serge, Yakimov, Michael, Tokranov, Vadim, and Murat, Pavel. Wed .  
"Integrated semiconductor quantum dot scintillation detector: Ultimate limit for speed and light yield".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2015.2502426.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1262337.

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@article{osti_1262337,

  title        = {Integrated semiconductor quantum dot scintillation detector: Ultimate limit for speed and light yield},

  author       = {Oktyabrsky, Serge and Yakimov, Michael and Tokranov, Vadim and Murat, Pavel},

  abstractNote = {Here, a picosecond-range timing of charged particles and photons is a long-standing challenge for many high-energy physics, biophysics, medical and security applications. We present a design, technological pathway and challenges, and some properties important for realization of an ultrafast high-efficient room-temperature semiconductor scintillator based on self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QD) embedded in a GaAs matrix. Low QD density (<; 1015 cm-3), fast (~5 ps) electron capture, luminescence peak redshifted by 0.2-0.3 eV from GaAs absorption edge with fast decay time (0.5-1 ns) along with the efficient energy transfer in the GaAs matrix (4.2 eV/pair) allows for fabrication of a semiconductor scintillator with the unsurpassed performance parameters. The major technological challenge is fabrication of a large volume (> 1 cm3 ) of epitaxial QD medium. This requires multiple film separation and bonding, likely using separate epitaxial films as waveguides for improved light coupling. Compared to traditional inorganic scintillators, the semiconductor-QD based scintillators could have about 5x higher light yield and 20x faster decay time, opening a way to gamma detectors with the energy resolution better than 1% and sustaining counting rates MHz. Picosecond-scale timing requires segmented low-capacitance photodiodes integrated with the scintillator. For photons, the proposed detector inherently provides the depth-of-interaction information.},

  doi          = {10.1109/TNS.2015.2502426},

  journal      = {IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science},

  number       = 2,

  volume       = 63,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Mar 30 00:00:00 EDT 2016},

  month        = {Wed Mar 30 00:00:00 EDT 2016}

}

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