X-ray diffuse scattering for evaluation of wide bandgap semiconductor nuclear radiation detectors

The crystalline perfection of solid state radiation detectors was examined using triple axis x-ray diffraction. Triple axis techniques provide a means to analyze the origin of diffraction peak broadening: the effects of strain (due to deviations in alloy composition or stoichiometry) and lattice tilts (mosaic structure) can be separated. Cd1-xZnxTe (x approximate to 0.1), HgI2, and GaAs detector materials were studied. In the cases of Cd1-xZnxTe and HgI2 the crystalline properties of detectors with different spectral responses to gamma-radiation were determined. Increased mosaicity was universally found to be related to deteriorated detector properties. For Cd1-xZnxTe, detectors with poor performance possessed greater levels of diffuse scatter due to lattice tilts than did high quality detectors. For GaAs, low angle grain boundaries were attributed to impaired detector performance. Additionally, in large HgI2 detectors, deviations from stoichiometry were also related to reduced performance. Interestingly, HgI2 detectors which possessed a sharp spectral response to gamma-radiation but also showed polarization were of comparable crystallinity to those detectors which did not exhibit polarization effects. This initial analysis suggests that polarization is related to native point defects or chemical impurities which do not significantly alter the crystallinity of the material. Overall, within a given class of materials, improved detector performance (better spectral response) always correlated with better material quality.