From photovoltaics to medical imaging: Applications of thin-film CdTe in x-ray detection

Abstract

Recent developments in photovoltaics created a commercially viable technology of large area uniform thin-film structures, potentially extendable to the field of medical imaging, where the capability of producing large area x-ray detectors is essential for the successful diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We propose a large area thin-film CdTe structure suitable for radiation detection and discuss its main characteristics under x-ray beams used in radiation therapy. While based on the same principle, the details of its operations are very dissimilar from that of photovoltaics.