A review on emerging materials with focus on BiI₃ for room-temperature semiconductor radiation detectors

Purpose Considerable advances in the fundamental knowledge and applications of radiation science have led to significant progress and development of room-temperature semiconductor radiation detectors (RTSD). The RTSDs technologies are continuously evolving with accelerated research and material engineering in the last decade. Significant scientific and technological advancements have led to development of high-performance radiation detectors with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), better sensitivity, faster response and higher-resolution with capability of desired room-temperature operation. This paper is a review on emerging semiconductor radiation detector materials with a deeper insight into the prospective role of Bismuth tri-iodide (BiI₃) for room-temperature radiation detectors.
Methods An introduction of the state of art of most developed semiconductor materials, i.e., cadmium telluride (CdTe), mercury iodide (HgI₂), lead iodide (PbI₂), etc., and a critical examination of properties, shortcomings and challenges related to their synthesis have been elaborated. Polymer-semiconductor composites with desirable properties and their integration into detector devices is also presented. Subsequent sections discuss the role of BiI₃ as an emerging radiation detector material for room-temperature operation with an in-depth discussion on the role of defects in charge transportation and electrode configuration. Furthermore, the current challenges along with the future prospects of these materials for radiation detection to promote continuous innovation and practical applications are also elaborated.
Conclusion The comprehensive review on latest developments in room-temperature radiation detector materials is expected to help establish a technological roadmap for the synthesis, fabrication and commercialization of novel materials for development of efficient radiation detectors.