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Detecting ionizing radiation using halide perovskite semiconductors processed through solution and alternative methods

Nature Photonics volume 16, pages 14–26 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

The direct detection of high-energy radiation such as X-rays and γ-rays by semiconductors at room temperature is a challenging proposition that requires remarkably pure and nearly perfect crystals. The emergence of metal halide perovskites, defect-tolerant semiconductors, is reviving hope for new materials in this field after an almost 20 year hiatus. Metal halide perovskites, which combine exceptional optoelectronic properties, versatile chemistry and simple synthesis, are challenging traditional approaches for the development of novel semiconductors for detecting hard radiation. We discuss the relevant physical properties, promising materials, fabrication techniques and device architectures for high-performance, low-cost detectors by targeting next-generation semiconductors for radiation detection. We also present a perspective on the impact of such advances in future medical imaging applications.

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Fig. 1: Basic physical processes and characteristics of semiconductor X-ray detectors.
Fig. 2: Effects of dimensionality reduction on material and device properties.
Fig. 3: Different approaches for the fabrication of MHP X- and γ-ray detectors.
Fig. 4: Halide perovskite semiconductors for X- and γ-ray spectroscopy in the single-photon mode.

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Acknowledgements

Y.H. acknowledges support from the Research Fund from Soochow University (grant number NH12800621) and the State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection (grant number MZ12800121). M.G.K. acknowledges support from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) as part of the Interaction of Ionizing Radiation with Matter University Research Alliance (IIRM-URA) under contract number HDTRA1-20-2-0002.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Yihui He, Ido Hadar.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiological Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Yihui He

  2. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Yihui He & Mercouri G. Kanatzidis

  3. Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    Ido Hadar

  4. Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA

    Mercouri G. Kanatzidis

Authors
  1. Yihui He
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  2. Ido Hadar
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  3. Mercouri G. Kanatzidis
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Correspondence to Mercouri G. Kanatzidis.

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Competing interests

Y.H. and M.G.K. are involved in a newly founded startup company called Actinia whose aim is to commercialize halide perovskites as γ-ray and X-ray detectors.

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Peer review information Nature Photonics thanks Wolfgang Heiss, Kris Iniewski, Sergii Yakunin and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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He, Y., Hadar, I. & Kanatzidis, M.G. Detecting ionizing radiation using halide perovskite semiconductors processed through solution and alternative methods. Nat. Photon. 16, 14–26 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-021-00909-5

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