Segmented electrode formation of semiconductor detector based on printable electronics technology for a medical imaging scanner

We developed prototype CdTe detectors with segmented electrodes using inkjet drawing in ink containing Gold nanoparticles by exploiting the sintering process for metallization. The resulting electrode patterns demonstrated that the inkjet technology is capable of forming fine detection elements with submillimeter alignment and gaps of several tens of micrometers. Moreover, it was shown that they are suitable for the construction of medical imaging scanners. In addition, it was also demonstrated that the proposed approach is compatible with conventional processes with respect to detector performance. The developed prototype detectors achieved good energy resolution that was comparable to other detectors based on conventional methods. In particular, an energy resolution of 1.7 % was obtained at 662 keV for a detector with pixel sizes of 2×2 mm². It was also determined that gold nanoparticle inks can be metallized at a relatively low cure temperature of approximately 200 °C and this feature facilitates the fabrication of detectors by employing CdTe, which is a heat-sensitive material.