BPN483: High Z Materials for Nuclear Detection

Homeland security requires development of cost-effective nuclear detection capability to distinguish threats from non- threats. High atomic number (Z) semiconductor devices with high efficiency, sufficient energy resolution, and room temperature operation offer the potential to meet this objective rapidly, reliably, and inexpensively, but have been challenging to realize, despite significant efforts spanning 30 years. To achieve this important goal, there is strong consensus that fundamental limitations on charge collection in high Z materials must be understood, material quality must be improved, and large scale techniques for production of novel detector material films must be developed.

Project end date: 02/02/10