On the correlation between crystal morphology and X-ray performance of a CdZnTe detector

Using a CdZnTe sample detector, a variety of diagnostic tools are applied, so as to assess the crystal characteristics and to compare these to the X-ray response measured with synchrotron radiation. Correlations are found, such that X-ray response degrading processes can be identified. In this respect the performance of the detector is found to be limited by both large scale defects such as some grain boundaries and also pipes and by crystal imperfections, together with impurities and other crystal defects, both at the surface and in the bulk crystal. The relatively soft CdZnTe crystals are very sensitive to improper handling, producing particularly surface damage, which in turn deteriorates the detector performance, as is rather clearly established by photoluminescence measurements.