X-Ray Detector-on-Plastic With High Sensitivity Using Low Cost, Solution-Processed Organic Photodiodes

• Published in: IEEE transactions on electron devices Vol. 63; no. 1; pp. 197 - 204
• Main Authors: Gelinck, Gerwin H., Kumar, Abhishek, Moet, Date, van der Steen, Jan-Laurens P. J., van Breemen, Albert J. J. M., Shanmugam, Santosh, Langen, Arjan, Gilot, Jan, Groen, Pim, Andriessen, Ronn, Simon, Matthias, Ruetten, Walter, Douglas, Alexander U., Raaijmakers, Rob, Malinowski, Pawel E., Myny, Kris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.01.2016; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Arrays; Cost engineering; Dark current; Detectors; Devices; Flexible electronics; Frames; indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistor (TFT); large-area X-ray detector; Lithography; Manufacturing engineering; organic photodetector (OPD); Photodiodes; Plastics; Thin film transistors; X-ray imaging; X-rays; organic photodetector (OPD); indium–gallium–zinc oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistor (TFT); Flexible electronics; large-area X-ray detector
• ISSN: 0018-9383; 1557-9646
• DOI: 10.1109/TED.2015.2432572

We made and characterized an X-ray detector on a 25-μm-thick plastic substrate that is capable of medicalgrade performance. As an indirect conversion flat panel detector, it combined a standard scintillator with an organic photodetector (OPD) layer and oxide thin-film transistor backplane. Using solution-processed organic bulk heterojunction photodiode rather than the usual amorphous silicon, process temperature is reduced to be compatible with plastic film substrates, and a number of costly lithography steps are eliminated, opening the door to lower production costs. With dark currents as low as 1 pA/mm 2 and sensitivity of 0.2 A/W the OPD also meets functional requirements: the proof-of-concept detector delivers high-resolution, dynamic images at 10 frames/s, and 200 pixels/in using X-ray doses as low as 3 μGy/frame.