CsPbBr₃ Perovskite Planar Detectors Surpass CdZnTe in High-Energy Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nuclear Instrumentation
• Solid-State Physics

Background:

• High-energy gamma radiation detection necessitates large-volume semiconductor crystals with efficient absorption, good charge transport, and operational stability at room temperature.
• Cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) perovskite is a promising material due to its favorable growth, defect tolerance, and cost-effective synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of CsPbBr3 as a gamma-ray detector across a wide energy range.
• To compare the efficacy of CsPbBr3 detectors with commercial cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and characterization of CsPbBr3 perovskite semiconductor crystals.
• Performance testing of CsPbBr3 detectors for gamma-ray detection up to 1332 keV.
• Comparative analysis of CsPbBr3 and CZT detectors, focusing on energy resolution, spectral fidelity, and stability.

Main Results:

• CsPbBr3 detectors exhibited high energy resolution and superior spectral fidelity for gamma peaks above 1 MeV.
• Long-term operational stability was demonstrated over 225 days with no performance degradation.
• CsPbBr3 resolved closely spaced gamma lines, including weak emissions from depleted uranium, with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio.

Conclusions:

• CsPbBr3 offers balanced charge transport, minimizing signal distortion and enabling precise spectral peak definition without complex algorithms.
• CsPbBr3 detectors achieve comparable energy resolution to CZT below 0.5 MeV and outperform CZT at higher energies.
• CsPbBr3 is a strong alternative for next-generation room-temperature radiation detection applications.