【Device Papers】Inorganic Wearable β-Ga₂O₃ Single Crystal X-Ray Detector With High-Sensitivity and Stability

      Researchers from the Shandong University have published a dissertation titled " Inorganic Wearable β-Ga₂O₃ Single Crystal X-Ray Detector With High-Sensitivity and Stability" in Laser & Photonics Reviews.

Abstract

      High-sensitivity wearable radiation detectors are crucial for personnel protection in radiation environments such as national defense, nuclear facilities, and medical fields. In this work, ultrathin flexible β-Ga₂O₃ single-crystal flakes are fabricated via the mechanical exfoliation method, and a flexible wearable detector is designed accordingly. The obtained detector exhibits a detection limit as low as 63.16 nGy/s and a sensitivity of 2513.06 μC Gy⁻¹ cm⁻² nearly 125 times that of commercial amorphous Se detectors, realizing the integration of high sensitivity, high stability, and mechanical flexibility. Notably, under multiple bias voltage conditions, the sensitivity of the detector in a bending state is 2%–7% higher than in a flat state. This is because elastic strain induces β-Ga₂O₃ lattice distortion, modifies its band structure, and ultimately enhances carrier mobility, evidenced by μ_τ rising from 7.72 ×10⁻⁵ to 8.48 ×10⁻⁵ cm²/V and ∼ 13% shorter response time in the bending state. Furthermore, the detector shows <0.3 % performance loss after 1000 bending cycles; an array detector based on this structure also achieves clear pattern imaging. This work is expected to promote the development of flexible wearable X-ray detectors, and the strain-enhanced detection mechanism proposed in this study provides a novel approach for the performance regulation of flexible detectors.

DOI：

https://doi.org/10.1002/lpor.71323