Heavy metallic oxide nanoparticles for enhanced sensitivity in semiconducting polymer x-ray detectors

Abstract

Semiconducting polymers have previously been used as the transduction material in X-ray dosimeters, but these devices have a rather low detection sensitivity because of the low X-ray attenuation efficiency of the organic active layer. Here, we demonstrate a way to overcome this limitation through the introduction of high density nanoparticles having a high atomic number (Z) to increase the X-ray

Toward Low‐Voltage and Bendable X‐Ray Direct Detectors Based on Organic Semiconducting Single Crystals

“…[ 6 ] Recent examples of organic devices used as direct photon detectors have been presented for operation in the UV-NIR range, with very interesting values for fi gures of merit such as photoconversion effi ciency, speed, and minimum detectable signal level, [ 7 ] and even though the simultaneous attainment of all these relevant parameters is demonstrated only in a limited number of papers, real applications are within reach for this technology, where the best reported photoresponsivity outperform amorphous silicon-based devices. Organic semiconductors are also very promising candidates for the detection of higher energy photons (X-rays and gamma rays) [8][9][10] …”

Solid State Organic X-Ray Detectors Based on Rubrene Single Crystals

“…Moreover, the possibility to deposit and to process them at low temperature, permits the fabrication of devices onto very thin and flexible plastic substrates, easily conformable to any kind of surface geometry [12] [13]. Only few examples of direct ionizing radiation detectors, mostly based on organic semiconducting polymeric thin films are present in the literature [14] [15], and some papers reported about the effects of high X-ray irradiation doses on organic materials [16] [17]. However, because of the low atomic number of their constituent atoms, the interaction volume is small and the reported thin film (a few hundreds of nm thick) devices exhibited a limited detection sensitivity, due to their overall low attenuation efficiency.…”

“…However, because of the low atomic number of their constituent atoms, the interaction volume is small and the reported thin film (a few hundreds of nm thick) devices exhibited a limited detection sensitivity, due to their overall low attenuation efficiency. In order to overcome this limitation high-Z nanoparticles (metallic tantalum [18] and insulating bismuth oxide [15] [11]) have been added to the semiconducting polymer, enhancing the stopping power of the material. Another reported approach consisted in improving the transport properties of the organic film by introducing high-mobility small molecules in a blend with the polymer, leading to enhanced performance of the detector [19].…”

X-ray sensitivity of small organic molecule and zinc cadmium sulfide mixture layers deposited using thermal melting technique

“…Recently X-ray sensitive layers were successfully produced using polymer active layers such as poly (triarylamine) (PTAA) [17] and poly[1-methoxy-4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) [18]. In addition, mixtures of organic polytriarylamine (PTAA) and inorganic bismuth oxide (BiO 2 ) compound layers were implemented for direct X-ray detection [19]. Organic X-ray sensitive layers are mainly produced using regular technologies: either spin-coating or drop casting.…”