New Materials for High Energy Colour X-ray Imaging

高能彩色 X 射线成像新材料

• 批准号: EP/D048737/1
• 负责人: Robert Cernik
• 金额: $ 383.92万
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2006 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FD048737%2F1
• 关键词: New; Materials; Energy; Colour; ray

Advances in X-ray digital imaging over the last 15 years have revolutionised the way that we observe the world. For example, medical images are improving in resolution and clarity; the automotive and aerospace industries have used tomographic imaging to find faults, cracks and dislocations in sensitive components; the scanners used at airports for baggage surveillance have increased in sophistication and are often using substance recognition techniques and as a final example X-ray imaging cameras have been launched into space in order to provide more detailed information about the origins of our universe. However impressive these developments may be the technology of 3D imaging is severely limited by the currently available detector arrays. The origins of this limitation can be found in the materials that are currently used in these arrays. We wish to develop a new and novel range of semiconductor materials made from heavy elements ideally suited to making array detectors that will operate with high energy X-rays. At present it is not possible to obtain defect free material of area greater than about one square cm and even this cannot be guaranteed. We will rectify this problem and deliver high quality semiconductor material for our applications in addition to supplying material for many other UK applications that are not specifically part of our consortium's proposal.These new materials will have instant applications across the sciences. The use of such materials in these cases is not merely incremental; they will enable entirely new materials to be examined and will give us images of unparalleled quality and information content. We will use the many wavelengths (colour information) present in X-ray sources to fingerprint materials as well as image them. High energy X-rays have the ability to penetrate deeply into materials allowing the examination of dense objects such as welds in steel, geological core sections bearing oil or gas or for the internal observation of chemical reactions inside heavy plant or machinery. The use of higher energy X-rays has a further advantage in medical diagnosis delivering clearer images with lower radiation doses. At present no suitable materials exist anywhere in the world that will satisfy the demanding technical requirements of high energy X-ray imaging. We will establish a UK technology base for the development and production of high purity heavy semiconductor materials. These materials are promising candidate semiconductors that combine high efficiency with good bulk charge transport properties. Over recent years we have made considerable progress in developing the growth of suitable semiconductors. We will develop a process to grow wafers with excellent charge transport which has the potential for scale-up to larger wafer diameters in the later phase of the project. The material will be characterised in terms of electrical and charge transport properties, and this information will be used to optimise the growth and dopant regimes. We will then process the material into detector devices; this will require the development of metal-semiconductor contacts and passivation treatments. This will be carried out at CCLRC and Surrey using dedicated clean rooms. These working devices will then be utilised in the research programmes of Manchester, London, Liverpool Daresbury and the diamond synchrotron light source. These high purity wafers will also be made available for a much wider range of research applications that will be opened up by this manufacturing project.A unique feature of our collaboration is our ability to develop the new materials as well as utilise them with full detector systems. We see this as a vital step in delivering the materials to a diverse scientific audience as well as a route to commercial exploitation. The opportunities for the latter are significant.

在过去的15年里，X射线数字成像的进步彻底改变了我们观察世界的方式。例如，医学图像的分辨率和清晰度正在提高;汽车和航空航天工业已经使用断层成像来发现敏感部件中的故障、裂缝和错位;在机场用于行李监视的扫描仪已经增加了复杂性，并且经常使用物质识别技术，作为最后一个例子，X-射线成像相机已被发射到太空，以提供有关宇宙起源的更详细信息。然而，令人印象深刻的这些发展可能是3D成像的技术是严重限制了目前可用的检测器阵列。这种限制的起源可以在这些阵列中目前使用的材料中找到。我们希望开发一种新的、新颖的由重元素制成的半导体材料，非常适合制造能用高能X射线工作的阵列探测器。目前，不可能获得面积大于约一平方厘米的无缺陷材料，甚至这也无法保证。我们将纠正这一问题，并为我们的应用提供高质量的半导体材料，此外还为许多其他英国应用提供材料，这些应用不是我们财团提案的具体部分。这些新材料将立即应用于各个科学领域。在这些情况下使用这些材料不仅仅是增加;它们将使我们能够审查全新的材料，并将为我们提供无与伦比的质量和信息内容的图像。我们将使用X射线源中存在的许多波长（颜色信息）来识别材料并对其进行成像。高能X射线具有深入穿透材料的能力，可以检查致密的物体，例如钢中的焊缝，含有石油或天然气的地质核心部分，或者用于重型工厂或机械内部化学反应的内部观察。使用更高能量的X射线在医学诊断中具有进一步的优势，以更低的辐射剂量提供更清晰的图像。目前，世界上任何地方都没有合适的材料可以满足高能X射线成像的苛刻技术要求。我们将建立一个英国技术基地，用于开发和生产高纯度重半导体材料。这些材料是有前途的候选半导体，联合收割机高效率与良好的体电荷传输性能。近年来，我们在开发合适的半导体生长方面取得了相当大的进展。我们将开发一种工艺来生长具有优异电荷传输的晶圆，该工艺有可能在项目的后期阶段扩大到更大的晶圆直径。该材料将在电气和电荷传输特性方面进行表征，这些信息将用于优化生长和掺杂制度。然后，我们将把材料加工成探测器设备;这将需要开发金属-半导体接触和钝化处理。这将在CCLRC和Surrey使用专用洁净室进行。这些工作装置随后将用于曼彻斯特、伦敦、利物浦达雷斯伯里和钻石同步加速器光源的研究方案。这些高纯度晶圆还将用于更广泛的研究应用，这些应用将由该制造项目开辟。我们合作的一个独特之处是我们能够开发新材料，并将其与完整的检测器系统一起使用。我们认为这是向不同的科学受众提供材料的重要一步，也是商业开发的途径。后者的机会很大。

项目成果

Multivariate Data Analysis for Drug Identification Using Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Diffraction

• DOI: 10.1109/tns.2008.2011551
• 发表时间: 2009-06
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
• 影响因子: 1.8
• 作者: E. Cook;S. Pani;L. George;S. Hardwick;J. Horrocks;R. Speller

An in situ high pressure-high temperature powder diffraction study of the formation of a precursor phase of bismuth manganite

亚锰酸铋前驱相形成的原位高压高温粉末衍射研究

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2010.07.014
• 发表时间: 2010
• 期刊: Ceramics International
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Cernik R

Heteroepitaxial growth and properties of crystals of CdTe on GaAs substrates

GaAs 衬底上 CdTe 晶体的异质外延生长及其性能

• DOI: 10.1117/12.739476
• 发表时间: 2007
• 作者: Choubey A

Growth of cadmium telluride crystals for sensor use

传感器用碲化镉晶体的生长

• DOI: 10.1109/maes.2006.1684263
• 发表时间: 2006
• 期刊: IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine
• 影响因子: 3.6
• 作者: Cantwell B

Performance Evaluation of 98 CZT Sensors for Their Use in Gamma-Ray Imaging

98 CZT 传感器在伽马射线成像中的应用性能评估

• DOI: 10.1109/tns.2008.2001681
• 发表时间: 2008
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
• 影响因子: 1.8
• 作者: Dedek N