Vladimir Buliga

Investigation of the internal electric field in cadmium zinc telluride detectors using the Pockels effect and the analysis of charge transients

The Pockels electro-optic effect can be used to investigate the internal electric field in cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) single crystals that are used to fabricate room temperature x and gamma radiation detectors. An agreement is found between the electric field mapping obtained from Pockels effect images and the measurements of charge transients generated by alpha particles. The Pockels effect images of a CZT detector along two mutually perpendicular directions are used to optimize the detector response in a dual anode configuration, a device in which the symmetry of the internal electric field with respect to the anode strips is of critical importance. The Pockels effect is also used to map the electric field in a CZT detector with dual anodes and an attempt is made to find a correlation with the simulated electric potential in such detectors. Finally, the stress-induced birefringence effects seen in the Pockels images are presented and discussed.

Large Area

Cd_0.9Zn_0.1Te (CZT) based pixelated radiation detectors have been fabricated and characterized for gamma ray detection. Large area CZT single crystals has been grown using a tellurium solvent method. A 10 ×10 guarded pixelated detector has been fabricated on a ~ 19.5 ×19.5 ×5 mm³ crystal cut out from the grown ingot. The pixel dimensions were 1.3 ×1.3 mm² and were pitched at 1.8 mm. A guard grid was used to reduce interpixel/inter-electrode leakage. The crystal was characterized in planar configuration using electrical, optical and optoelectronic methods prior to the fabrication of pixelated geometry. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements revealed a leakage current of 27 nA at an operating bias voltage of 1000 V and a resistivity of ~ 3.1 ×10¹⁰ Ω-cm. Infrared transmission imaging revealed an average tellurium inclusion/precipitate size less than 8 μm. Pockels measurement has revealed a near-uniform depth-wise distribution of the internal electric field. The mobility-lifetime product in this crystal was calculated to be 6.2 ×10 ^{- 3} cm²/V using alpha ray spectroscopic method. Gamma spectroscopy using a ¹³⁷Cs source on the pixelated structure showed fully resolved 662 keV gamma peaks for all the pixels, with percentage resolution (FWHM) as high as 1.8%.

{\rm Cd}_{0.9}{\rm Zn}_{0.1}{\rm Te}

6LiInSe2 is a promising thermal neutron semiconductor detector material. The performance of the detector is affected by the carrier mobility-lifetime products. Therefore, defects that function as carrier recombination centers need to be identified. In this letter, characterization of defect levels in 6LiInSe2 by photo-induced current transient spectroscopy (PICTS) and photoluminescence is reported. PICTS measurements revealed electron-related defects located at 0.22, 0.36, and 0.55 eV and hole-related defects at 0.19, 0.30, and 0.73 eV. Free exciton and donor-acceptor pairs (DAP) emissions were observed. The PICTS defect level values are consistent with those extracted from DAP transitions.

Pixelated Detector: Fabrication and Characterization

The distribution of the internal electric field in Cd1−xZnxTe (CZT) materials has significant effects on the charge collection ability. Light exposure at various wavelengths is a relatively unexplored process that alters charge collection at the anode contact. The use of multiple wavelengths can target charge carriers at various trap energies and positions throughout the crystal. The controlled illumination increases charge collection by releasing trapped electron and hole carriers in the crystal despite differences in light energy. Our study presents the results from our investigation of the effect of external illumination of CZT on the internal electric field via the Pockels effect. The space charge collection is further analyzed based on location and intensity relative to the specific wavelength of illumination.

Defects in 6LiInSe2 neutron detector investigated by photo-induced current transient spectroscopy and photoluminescence

Post-growth manipulation of the internal electric field in CdZnTe crystals using sub-bandgap illumination is measured as a function of temperature through infrared (IR) transmission measurements. Using near sub-bandgap IR illumination, both the optical de-trapping of charge carriers and the reduction in carrier recombination increased the mobility lifetime in the crystal. The increased carrier transport is a direct result of decreased hole and electron trapping in addition to other underlying mechanisms. Concentration of the electric field near the cathode is also observed. We measured the electric field distribution with sub-bandgap illumination as a function of temperature via the Pockels effect.

Wavelength dependence on the space charge collection in CdZnTe detectors

Models of nonproportional response in scintillators have highlighted the importance of parameters such as branching ratios, carrier thermalization times, diffusion, kinetic order of quenching, associated rate constants, and radius of the electron track. For example, the fraction ηeh of excitations that are free carriers versus excitons was shown by Payne and coworkers to have strong correlation with the shape of electron energy response curves from Compton-coincidence studies. Rate constants for nonlinear quenching are implicit in almost all models of nonproportionality, and some assumption about track radius must invariably be made if one is to relate linear energy deposition dE/dx to volume-based excitation density n (eh/cm3) in terms of which the rates are defined. Diffusion, affecting time-dependent track radius and thus density of excitations, has been implicated as an important factor in nonlinear light yield. Several groups have recently highlighted diffusion of hot electrons in addition to thermalized carriers and excitons in scintillators. However, experimental determination of many of these parameters in the insulating crystals used as scintillators has seemed difficult. Subpicosecond laser techniques including interband z scan light yield, fluence-dependent decay time, and transient optical absorption are now yielding experimental values for some of the missing rates and ratios needed for modeling scintillator response. First principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations can fill in additional parameters still unavailable from experiment. As a result, quantitative modeling of scintillator electron energy response from independently determined material parameters is becoming possible on an increasingly firmer data base. This paper describes recent laser experiments, calculations, and numerical modeling of scintillator response.

Effect of sub-bandgap illumination on the internal electric field of CdZnTe

Detector grade Cd0.9Zn0.1Te single crystals were grown using a tellurium solvent method. Single crystal blocks of volume ~1 cm3 were prepared for detector fabrication and characterization. The grown crystals were characterized using infra-red transmission imaging and Pockels effect measurements. Two detectors in single-polarity charge sensing configurations viz., small pixel, and virtual Frisch grid were fabricated on two crystals obtained from the same section of the ingot. Current-voltage measurements performed in planar configuration exhibited a very low leakage current of ~5 nA at 1000 V and resistivities of the order of 8.5×1010 Ω·cm. Electron drift mobilities of the order of 840 cm2/V.s and electron mobility-lifetime products of the order of 2.7×10-3 cm2/V were calculated from alpha spectroscopy using detectors in planar configuration. The small pixel and the virtual Frisch grid detector showed similar energy resolution of 3.7% for 662 keV gamma rays however, the virtual Frisch grid configuration revealed a better overall performance with a peak-to-Compton ratio of 2.8. A digital spectrometer and related software has been developed using a digitizer card and used to employ offline correction schemes to compensate for the charge loss effects, resulting in significant improvement of the 662 keV peak resolution (1.8% as compared to 3.7% without correction) obtained in the case of small pixel detector.

Experimental and computational results on exciton/free-carrier ratio, hot/thermalized carrier diffusion, and linear/nonlinear rate constants affecting scintillator proportionality

In this article we report the evaluation of thick (up to 10 mm) as-grown Cd_0.9Zn_0.1Te(CZT):In detectors fabricated from ingots grown by traveling heater method (THM). The crystals were investigated by mapping the electron mobility (μ_e), (μτ)_e and the internal electric field of as-grown CZT samples. The detector performance was also evaluated in co-planar grid geometry. The excellent (μτ)_e value and the detector performance of 10 mm thick as-grown detectors is the indication that the THM technique can be employed successfully to fabricate the detectors directly from the as-grown boule at substantially lower cost.

Cd

Manipulation of CdZnTe (CZT) crystals using illumination is a useful tool for altering the internal electric field present under normal bias conditions. The interactions with carriers that are trapped at either terminal are visualized by the electric field distribution through polarization. In this report, we demonstrate an ability to selectively manipulate the internal electric field of CZT using multiple-wavelength light illumination at various optical powers. The internal electric field polarization can be controlled using changes in optical power. We also investigate the electric field distributions using multiple optical powers to examine the light response as a function of light penetration depth.

_{0.9}

This paper reports on the charge carrier properties of several lithium indium diselenide (LISe) semiconductors. It was found that the charge collection efficiency of LISe was improved after high flux thermal neutron irradiation including the presence of a typically unobservable alpha peak from hole-only collection. Charge carrier trap energies of the irradiated sample were measured using photo-induced current transient spectroscopy. Compared to previous studies of this material, no significant differences in trap energies were observed. Through trap-filled limited voltage measurements, neutron irradiation was found to increase the density of trap states within the bulk of the semiconductor, which created a polarization effect under alpha exposure but not neutron exposure. Further, the charge collection efficiency of the irradiated sample was higher (14–15 fC) than that of alpha particles (3–5 fC), indicating that an increase in hole signal contribution resulted from the neutron irradiation. Finally, it was observed that significant charge loss takes place near the point of generation, producing a significant scintillation response and artificially inflating the W-value of all semiconducting LISe crystals.This paper reports on the charge carrier properties of several lithium indium diselenide (LISe) semiconductors. It was found that the charge collection efficiency of LISe was improved after high flux thermal neutron irradiation including the presence of a typically unobservable alpha peak from hole-only collection. Charge carrier trap energies of the irradiated sample were measured using photo-induced current transient spectroscopy. Compared to previous studies of this material, no significant differences in trap energies were observed. Through trap-filled limited voltage measurements, neutron irradiation was found to increase the density of trap states within the bulk of the semiconductor, which created a polarization effect under alpha exposure but not neutron exposure. Further, the charge collection efficiency of the irradiated sample was higher (14–15 fC) than that of alpha particles (3–5 fC), indicating that an increase in hole signal contribution resulted from the neutron irradiation. Finally, it wa...