# US 7,612,345 B2 · Radiation detector crystal and method of formation thereof

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- Number: US 7,612,345 B2
- Document ID: US7612345B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/594,934
- Filed: 2006-01-27
- Published: 2009-02-12
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2005-01-27
- Assignees: Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Csaba Szeles; Scott E. Cameron; Vincent D. Mattera, Jr.; Utpal K. Chakrabarti
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612345B2

## CPC

- H10F 30/00: Individual radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices in which radiation controls the flow of current through the devices, e.g. photodetectors
- H10F 77/1243: {characterised by the dopants}
- Y02E 10/544: Solar cells from Group III-V materials
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A radiation detector crystal is made from CdxZn1-xTe, where 0≦x≦1; an element from column III or column VII of the periodic table, desirably in a concentration of about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion; and the element Ruthenium (Ru), the element Osmium (Os) or the combination of Ru and Os, desirably in a concentration of about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion using a conventional crystal growth method, such as, for example, the Bridgman method, the gradient freeze method, the electro-dynamic gradient freeze method, the so-call traveling heater method or by the vapor phase transport method. The crystal can be used as the radiation detecting element of a radiation detection device configured to detect and process, without limitation, X-ray and Gamma ray radiation events.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A radiation detector crystal made from a compound comprising:
CdxZn1-xTe, where 0≦x≦1;
an element from column III or column VII of the periodic table of the elements; and
the element Ruthenium (Ru), the element Osmium (Os) or a combination of Ru and Os.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A radiation detector crystal of claim 1, wherein the element from column III or column VII of the periodic table of the elements has a concentration between about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A radiation detector crystal of claim 2, wherein the element Ruthenium (Ru), the element Osmium (Os) or the combination of Ru and Os has a concentration between about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A radiation detector crystal of claim 1, wherein the element Ruthenium (Ru), the element Osmium (Os) or the combination of Ru and Os has a concentration between about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion.

### Claim 5

A radiation detection device comprising a crystal made from a combination of CdxZn1-xTe, where 0≦x≦1; an element from column III or column VII of the periodic table of the elements; and the element Ruthenium (Ru), the element Osmium (Os) or a combination of Ru and Os.

### Claim 6

A method of forming a radiation detector crystal comprising:
(a) providing a melt comprised of:
(1) a mixture of CdxZn1-xTe, where 0≦x≦1,
(2) a first dopant that adds shallow level donors (electrons) to the top of an energy band gap of said mixture when it is solidified, and
(3) a second dopant that adds deep level donors and/or acceptors to the middle of said energy band gap of said mixture when it is solidified, wherein the second dopant is one of the elements of Ruthenium (Ru) and Osmium (Os); and
(b) solidifying said melt in a manner to form the crystal.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein a concentration of the element Ru or Os is between about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the melt further includes a third dopant that adds deep level donors and/or acceptors to the middle of said energy band gap of said mixture when it is solidified, wherein the third dopant is the other one of the elements of Ruthenium (Ru) and Osmium (Os).

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein a concentration of the element Ru, the element Os or the combination of the elements Ru and Os in the compound is between about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the first dopant is an element from column III or column VII of the periodic table of the elements.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the first dopant is an element selected from the group consisting of B, Al, Ga, In, Tl, F, Cl, Br and I.

### Claim 12 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein a concentration of the first dopant in the compound is between about 1 to 10,000 atomic parts per billion.

### Claim 13 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, the crystal is formed by way of the Bridgman method, the gradient freeze method, the electro-dynamic gradient freeze method, the traveling heater method or by the vapor phase transport method.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of step (a) and step (b) is performed in the presence of a gas.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the gas is at least one of Nitrogen (N), Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr), Xenon (Xe), Hydrogen (H) and Deuterium (D).