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Title: High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors

Abstract

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 dimensionalmore » arrays may be used in X-ray imaging, CT scanning, crystallography, high energy physics beam tracking, nuclear medicine cameras and autoradiography.

Inventors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
+ Show Inventor Affiliations
  1. Palo Alto, CA
  2. El Cerrito, CA
  3. Berkeley, CA
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
868313
Patent Number(s):
5117114
Assignee:
Regents of University of California (Oakland, CA)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y10 - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC Y10S - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
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DOE Contract Number:  
AC03-76SF00098
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
resolution; amorphous; silicon; radiation; detectors; detector; employing; cells; array; cell; contiguous; layers; type; intrinsic; positioned; electrodes; bias; voltage; applied; energy; conversion; layer; atop; intercepts; incident; converts; light; wavelength; responsive; read-out; device; proximate; element; allows; interrogated; independently; determine; detected; material; luminescent; columnar; structure; embodiment; column; detects; passage; therethrough; directs; beam; signal; adjacent; a-si; film; detection; confined; comb; teeth; electrode; interdigitated; capacitance; reduction; replaced; 40; percent; dimensional; arrays; x-ray; imaging; scanning; crystallography; physics; tracking; nuclear; medicine; cameras; autoradiography; radiation energy; passage therethrough; silicon cells; luminescent material; ray imaging; incident radiation; light energy; nuclear medicine; amorphous silicon; light beam; energy conversion; radiation detector; bias voltage; radiation detectors; x-ray imaging; detector element; silicon radiation; positioned proximate; detector cell; detector employing; energy physics; medicine camera; employing amorphous; silicon cell; comb structure; amorphous material; dimensional array; /250/257/

Citation Formats

Street, Robert A, Kaplan, Selig N, and Perez-Mendez, Victor. High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors. United States: N. p., 1992. Web.
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Street, Robert A, Kaplan, Selig N, & Perez-Mendez, Victor. High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors. United States.
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Street, Robert A, Kaplan, Selig N, and Perez-Mendez, Victor. Wed . "High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/868313.
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@article{osti_868313,
title = {High resolution amorphous silicon radiation detectors},
author = {Street, Robert A and Kaplan, Selig N and Perez-Mendez, Victor},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}
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Works referenced in this record:

Amorphous-Silicon Photovoltaic X-Ray Sensor
journal, August 1985

A new type of X-ray area detector utilizing laser stimulated luminescence
journal, May 1986

  • Miyahara, Junji; Takahashi, Kenji; Amemiya, Yoshiyuki
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 246, Issue 1-3
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(86)90156-7

The new scintillation material CsI and its application to position sensitive detectors
journal, December 1988

  • Kubota, Shinzou; Murakami, Hiroyuki; Ruan(Gen), Jian-Zhi
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 273, Issue 2-3
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(88)90071-X

Amorphous silicon position-sensitive detector
journal, December 1988

  • Mochiki, Koh-ichi; Hasegawa, Ken-ichi; Namatame, Shuji
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 273, Issue 2-3
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(88)90070-8

A new scintillation material: Pure CsI with 10 ns decay time
journal, May 1988

  • Kubota, Shinzou; Sakuragi, Shirou; Hashimoto, Satoshi
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 268, Issue 1
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(88)90619-5
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