Emerging Perovskite Dosimetry for In-Situ and High-Dose Radiotherapy

Robust radiation detectors are essential in state-of-the-art radiotherapy and cancer treatment. This project exploits an innovative perovskite detector that meets the stringent requirements for such dosimeters. Our interdisciplinary team possesses complementary expertise in chemical synthesis (Bischak), semiconductor devices (Yoon), nuclear radiation (Sjoden), and clinical medical physics (Nelson).

Metal-halide perovskites are emerging semiconductors owing to their facile synthesis, tunable bandgap, long carrier diffusion length, and high defect tolerance. Researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of perovskite detectors where the performance is comparable to or exceeds established detectors. While exciting, the stability of perovskites under high radiation doses must be better understood. The detector architecture that optimizes the complex interactions between radioactive particles with semiconductors remains challenging. This research field faces limited experimental evaluation under irradiation by high-energy particles.

Our team is ideally positioned to tackle such challenges by maximizing our expertise and resources (TRIGA reactor (n-gamma), electron/proton sources). This project will be built on a solid partnership among experts, staff, and students, providing an excellent opportunity to promote diversity, educational training, and close collaborations. This project will enable us to pursue large external grants in medical, homeland security, and space research.

Current Status

2024-02-14
This project aims to develop advanced radiation dosimetry via innovative three-dimensional (3D) microstructural geometry incorporating hybrid-perovskite conversion materials. Our approach uses high-power laser beam processing to create arrays of perforated 3D microholes in semiconductor materials. As an initial demonstration, we have successfully employed this technique to pattern the 3D architectures into Si photovoltaic devices. This process allows for the efficient generation of densely-packed microhole arrays with spacings in the tens of micrometers over a device area of 100 mm2, completing the patterning process within minutes.

In addition, we have synthesized metal-halide perovskite precursors and integrated them into the microhole-patterned devices using spin-coating. Preliminary results indicate that the perovskite precursors penetrate the perforated structures at low spin speeds. We plan to optimize the heterojunction interfaces and refine our integration methodologies. Efforts have also begun to estimate the radiation penetration depth in Si, and we aim to co-design device architectures to effectively respond to various radiation energies from different particles, such as neutrons, protons, and electrons. Ultimately, this research will establish the experimental assessment of high-performance microstructured dosimetry when exposed to low- or moderate-energy particle irradiation.