Thin-Film Detector Shows High Response, Sensitivity for Radiation Measurement

Using off-the-shelf production facilities and standard production methods, researchers working for the Canadian Defense Research Establishment have built a new radiation detector for use in the medical, nuclear and space fields, or wherever low-cost, hypersensitive radiation detection is a key element. The Alwend Group plans to market the government-owned technology, which creates a detector sensitive to wavelengths greater than 10 µm with superconducting properties. The low-cost (about $1 per detector) manufacturing process uses a heat-treatment process and magnetron sputtering to create a thin film 0.02 to 0.5 µm deep on a single crystal substrate.