The Rapid-Production of the High-Performance and Affordable Cadmium Telluride and Cadmium Zinc Telluride for Medical Imaging Applications.

1碲锌镉（CZT）和碲化镉的高空间分辨率和能量分辨率 2（CdTe），与闪烁体相比，在核医学和X射线中提供了上级图像质量 3种成像应用，即SPECT、PET、CT、骨密度测定、肿瘤学、牙科成像、机场 CZT和CdTe仍然是室温辐射检测的理想选择，但它是 5受限于高成本和低产量导致的可用性和与之相关的长生产时间， 6种商业化生长技术，即移动加热器法（THM）。然而， 7在WSU开发的加速坩埚旋转技术（ACRT）生长方法已被证明， 8.生产工业品质、高性能CdTe/CZT。这种新的生长方法不仅 9允许CdTe/CZT以与通过THM生长的材料相同的质量生长，但也以生长速率生长 10比THM快10-20倍。具体地，CdTe/CZT通过THM以如下速率生长： 11大约每天1-3 mm，而通过ACRT的CdTe/CZT生长可以以快得多的速度完成。 12种速率，大约每小时1-3毫米。THM生长的CdTe/CZT需要较低的生长温度， 13个高质量的设备，这导致高度非化学计量的熔体，从而导致需要 14后处理与CdTe/CZT晶体生长相关的这些主要挑战已经被 15使用ACRT。这里建议通过引入以下方法来进一步发展ACRT生长过程： 16在用于CdTe的ACRT系统中进行晶体接种，并将该工艺扩展到商业级水平， 17继续改善CdTe器件的性能，用于高通量SPECT/CT应用。氯掺杂 18将进一步探索和优化，以实现高电阻率和高迁移率寿命的CdTe器件。 19将生长大量CdTe：Cl锭，并将用这些锭生产器件（交叉带和 20个商业像素图案）。设备将发送给商业合作伙伴和客户进行验证， 21努力集成到商业成像系统中。一个原型SPECT/CT系统将被设计，建造， 22、图像将被收集医疗/诊断成像市场预计将超过557亿美元， 2025年23日。医疗成像市场的利益相关者现在需要CdTe/CZT器件。这个项目的成果 24将是一个显着降低（> 3倍）的工业级材料成本，通过提高产量，减少 25生长时间，并消除了目前工业上使用的生长后退火处理。快速- 26生产时间和高性能的CdTe/CZT在这方面的努力，（1）医疗成像 27市场将最终有一个快速的周转时间和一致的高性能材料，可以很容易地 （2）CdTe/CZT的价格预计将降低3倍以上，（3）利益相关者将获得 29种价格实惠的高性能CdTe/CZT材料，可用于成像仪器， 30其他辐射检测应用。

1 The high spatial-resolution and energy-resolution of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) and cadmium telluride 2 (CdTe), compared to that of scintillators, offers superior image quality in Nuclear medicine and X-ray 3 imaging applications, i.e. SPECT, PET, CT, Bone Densitometry, Oncology, Dental imaging, Airport 4 security, etc. CZT and CdTe remain the desired choice for room-temperature radiation detection, but it is 5 limited by high-cost and availability resulting from low yield and long production times associated with 6 commercial growth techniques, i.e. the Traveling Heater Method (THM). However, the application of the 7 Accelerated Crucible Rotation Technique (ACRT) growth method developed at WSU has proven to 8 produce industrial quality, high-performance CdTe/CZT. This recently developed growth method not only 9 allows CdTe/CZT to be grown with the same quality as material grown by THM, but also at growth rates 10 approximately 10-20 times faster than THM. Specifically, CdTe/CZT is grown by THM at a rate of 11 approximately 1-3 mm per day, whereas CdTe/CZT growth by ACRT can be accomplished at much faster 12 rates of approximately 1-3 mm per hour. THM-grown CdTe/CZT requires a lower growth temperature for 13 high-quality devices, which results in highly off-stoichiometric melts, thereby inducing the need for 14 postprocessing. These major challenges associated with the crystal growth of CdTe/CZT have been 15 overcome using ACRT. It is proposed here to further develop the ACRT growth process by introducing 16 crystal seeding in the ACRT system for CdTe and scale this process to commercial-grade levels while 17 continuing to improve the CdTe device properties for high-flux SPECT/CT applications. Chlorine doping 18 will be further explored and optimized to achieve high resistivity and high mobility-lifetime CdTe devices. 19 Numerous CdTe:Cl ingots will be grown, and devices will be produced from these ingots (cross strip and 20 commercial pixel patterns). Devices will be sent to commercial partners and customers for validation in 21 effort to integrate into commercial imaging systems. A prototype SPECT/CT system will be designed, built, 22 and images will be collected. The medical/diagnostic imaging market is projected to cross $55.7 billion by 23 2025. Stakeholders in the medical imaging market need CdTe/CZT devices now. The fruition of this project 24 will be a significant reduction (>3x) of industrial-grade material costs by increasing the yield, reducing the 25 growth time, and eliminating post-growth anneal treatments currently used by industry. With the fast- 26 production time and high-performance of the CdTe/CZT produced in this effort, (1) the medical imaging 27 market will finally have a fast turnaround time and consistent high-performance material that can easily be 28 obtained, (2) a >3x price reduction is projected for CdTe/CZT, and (3) Stakeholders will have access to an 29 affordable, high-performance CdTe/CZT material that can be obtained for imaging instrumentation and 30 other radiation detection applications.