Akarin Intaniwet

Characterization of thick film poly(triarylamine) semiconductor diodes for direct x-ray detection

Thick film (≥5 μm thick) semiconducting polymer diodes incorporating poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) have been produced and applied as direct x-ray detectors. Experiments determined that a rectifying diode behavior persists when increasing the thickness of the active layer above typical thin film thicknesses (<1 μm), and the electrical conduction mechanism of the diodes has been identified. Direct current and photoconductivity measurements on indium tin oxide/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate)/PTAA/metal diodes confirm that carrier conduction occurs via a Poole–Frenkel mechanism. The energy band structure of diodes (having gold or aluminum top electrodes) has been elucidated and used to explain the resulting electrical characteristics. Theoretical calculations show that, upon irradiation with x-rays, the diode quantum efficiency increases with increasing polymer film thickness. The diodes produced here display characteristics similar to their thin film analogs, meaning that they may be oper...

Enhanced x-ray detection sensitivity in semiconducting polymer diodes containing metallic nanoparticles

Semiconducting polymer X-radiation detectors are a completely new family of low-cost radiation detectors with potential application as beam monitors or dosimeters. These detectors are easy to process, mechanically flexible, relatively inexpensive, and able to cover large areas. However, their x-ray photocurrents are typically low as, being composed of elements of low atomic number (Z), they attenuate x-rays weakly. Here, the addition of high-Z nanoparticles is used to increase the x-ray attenuation without sacrificing the attractive properties of the host polymer. Two types of nanoparticles (NPs) are compared: metallic tantalum and electrically insulating bismuth oxide. The detection sensitivity of 5 µm thick semiconducting poly([9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl]-co-bithiophene) diodes containing tantalum NPs is four times greater than that for the analogous NP-free devices; it is approximately double that of diodes containing an equal volume of bismuth oxide NPs. The x-ray induced photocurrent output of the diodes increases with an increased concentration of NPs. However, contrary to the results of theoretical x-ray attenuation calculations, the experimental current output is higher for the lower-Z tantalum diodes than the bismuth oxide diodes, at the same concentration of NP loading. This result is likely due to the higher tantalum NP electrical conductivity, which increases charge transport through the semiconducting polymer, leading to increased diode conductivity.

Flexible radiation dosimeters incorporating semiconducting polymer thick films

Flexible radiation dosimeters have been produced incorporating thick films (>1 μm) of the semiconducting polymer poly([9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl]-co-bithiophene). Diode structures produced on aluminium-metallised poly(imide) substrates, and with gold top contacts, have been examined with respect to their electrical properties. The results suggest that a Schottky conduction mechanism occurs in the reverse biased diode, with a barrier to charge injection at the aluminium electrode. Optical absorption/emission spectra reveal a band gap of 2.48 eV for the polymer. The diodes have been used for direct charge detection of 17 keV X-rays, generated by a molybdenum source. Using operating voltages of -10 and -50 V respectively, sensitivities of 54 and 158 nC/mGy/cm3 have been achieved. Increasing the operating voltage shows that the diodes are stable up to approximately -200 V without significant increase in the dark current of the device (<0.2 nA).