'Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)'
Doi
Abstract
Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) crystals are used in semiconductor radiation detectors for the detection of x-ray and gamma radiation. However, production of detector grade crystals is difficult as small variations in compositional uniformity and primarily the zinc content can significantly affect the ability of the CZT crystal to function as a radiation detector. Currently there are no known nondestructive methods that can be used to identify detector grade crystals. The current test method is to fabricate and test the detector to determine if the crystal is sufficiently uniform and of the correct composition to be considered a detector grade crystal. Consequently, nondestructive detection methods are needed to identify detector grade crystals prior to the fabrication process. The purpose of this feasibility study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the ability of several new, nondestructive technologies based on Induced Positron Annihilation (IPA) to determine if detector grade CZT crystals can be identified. Results of measurements performed on specimens from Fisk University and EV Products, Inc. indicate that both the near surface Distributed Source Positron Annihilation (up to 3 mm penetration) and the volumetric Photon Induced Positron Annihilation methods may be suitable for determining CZT crystal quality. Further work on CZT crystals with a broader range of compositions and detector characteristics is needed to provide a well defined, calibrated, method for assessing CZT crystal quality
