High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors

Patent · 26 May 1992

OSTI ID:7273425

Street, R A; Kaplan, S N; Perez-Mendez, V

A radiation detector employing amorphous Si:H cells in an array with each detector cell having at least three contiguous layers (n-type, intrinsic, p-type), positioned between two electrodes to which a bias voltage is applied. An energy conversion layer atop the silicon cells intercepts incident radiation and converts radiation energy to light energy of a wavelength to which the silicon cells are responsive. A read-out device, positioned proximate to each detector element in an array allows each such element to be interrogated independently to determine whether radiation has been detected in that cell. The energy conversion material may be a layer of luminescent material having a columnar structure. In one embodiment a column of luminescent material detects the passage therethrough of radiation to be detected and directs a light beam signal to an adjacent a-Si:H film so that detection may be confined to one or more such cells in the array. One or both electrodes may have a comb structure, and the teeth of each electrode comb may be interdigitated for capacitance reduction. The amorphous Si:H film may be replaced by an amorphous Si:Ge:H film in which up to 40 percent of the amorphous material is Ge. Two dimensional arrays may be used in X-ray imaging, CT scanning, crystallography, high energy physics beam tracking, nuclear medicine cameras and autoradiography. 18 figs.

• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• Assignee: Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States)
• Patent Number(s): A; US 5117114
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-448240
• OSTI ID: 7273425
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440101* -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DESIGN
ELEMENTS
GERMANIUM
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
N-TYPE CONDUCTORS
P-TYPE CONDUCTORS
RADIATION DETECTORS
READOUT SYSTEMS
SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SEMIMETALS
SI SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SILICON
USES