ARI-MA: Trap-Triggered Organic Field Effect Transistor as Low-Cost, Uncooled, Highly Sensitive Solid-State Photodetectors for Radiation Sensing

该项目的目标是开发一种高增益、低噪声的有机光电探测器，以替代昂贵的光电倍增管（pmt），应用于低成本的辐射探测器系统。该器件将利用入射光子作为开关阀来控制有机场效应晶体管的源漏输出电流。这些光电探测器可以通过在有机半导体-电极界面上捕获电子诱导的电荷注入来戏剧性地改变从电极到半导体通道的空穴注入。由于被捕获的电子是由入射光子注入的，每个被吸收的光子将在器件中引起很大的输出电流变化，从而产生非常大的表观增益。所提出的光电探测器将提供一种新的机制，以实现与相对低偏置驱动的pmt相当的高增益和低噪声，并且由于其优越的特性，包括紧凑的尺寸，鲁棒性，高增益，低噪声，低功耗，低成本以及对闪烁体光子发射的出色响应性，具有取代pmt的巨大潜力。该项目的成功将产生新一代固态光电探测器，以实现美国国家科学基金会/国内核探测办公室（DNDO）的资本投资目标，每个探测器/传感器的成本低于100美元。这种新的、低成本的光电探测器可能会与未来的低成本纳米复合闪烁体集成在一起，通过允许在偏远地区部署许多紧凑的、不引人注目的探测器——比如走私路线——在那里持续的有人监视是困难的，从而能够探测和拦截核/放射性装置或组成材料。这将显著改善国家？美国防止核或放射性攻击的能力。所提议的研究的成功实施也将对科学、技术和社会，特别是在工业、医疗和其他国防应用方面具有重要意义。例如，在计算机断层扫描中，提高灵敏度的光电探测器将减少暴露在病人身上的辐射剂量。该项目还将在新兴的可印刷电子产品类别中增加另一种低成本电子设备。此外，本科生将从内布拉斯加大学林肯分校著名的本科生研究和推广项目中招募，包括非常成功的本科生创意活动和研究体验项目（UCARE）和内布拉斯加大学材料和纳米科学中心的本科生研究体验项目（REU）。

The goal of this project is to develop a type of extremely high-gain, low-noise organic photodetector as a replacement for expensive photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) for applications in the low-cost radiation detectors systems. The proposed device will use the incident photon as a switching valve to control the source-drain output current of organic field effect transistors. These photodetectors allow dramatic changing of the hole injection from electrode into semiconductor channel by the trapped-electrons-induced charge injection at the organic semiconductor-electrode interface. Because the trapped electrons are injected by the incident photons, each absorbed photon will cause a large output current change in the devices, producing a very large apparent gain. The proposed photodetector will provide a new mechanism to achieve a high gain and low noise comparable to that of PMTs driven by relative low bias, and has substantial potential to replace PMTs due to superior characteristics including compact size, robustness, high gain, low noise, low power consumption, low cost, and excellent responsivity to the photon emission from scintillator. The success of this project will yield a new generation of solid-state photodetectors to achieve the NSF/Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO)'s capital investment cost goals of less than $100 per detector/sensor. This new, low-cost photodetector may then be integrated with future low-cost nanocomposite scintillators, enabling the detection and interdiction of nuclear/radiological devices or component materials by allowing for deployment of many compact, unobtrusive detectors in remote areas - such as smuggling routes - where persistent manned surveillance would be difficult. This will significantly improve the nation?s ability to prevent nuclear or radiological attacks. Successful execution of the proposed research will also have significant importance for science, technology, and society, particularly in industrial, medical, and other defense applications. For example, an increased sensitivity photodetector would reduce the radiation dose exposed to the patient in computerized tomography scanning. This project will also add another new category of low-cost electronic device into the emerging class of printable electronics. Further, undergraduate students will be recruited from well-known undergraduate research and outreach programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, including the highly successful Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences Program (UCARE) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the Nebraska Center of Materials and Nanoscience.