For many decades high density semiconductor materials like cadmium telluride (CdTe), cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) have been investigated for X-ray imaging at high energies (>15 keV) where the stopping power of traditional silicon-based detectors is poor. In recent years the improvement in the quality and availability of these compound semiconductors has enabled the delivery of a growing range of detector systems, capable of imaging at higher energies in both an academic and industrial setting.
With the development of a new generation of photon sources that includes Free Electron Lasers (FELs) and Diffraction Limited Storage Ring (DLSR) Synchrotrons, the requirements for these detector technologies are becoming increasing more challenging. Developing an in-depth understanding of the properties of these detector materials, ranging from their charge transport properties to their stability under high fluxes of X-rays, is essential if these detectors are to become more widespread in the future.
Research in to the fundamental properties of these materials and their applications as detectors is taking place in major institutes across the world, including a significant contribution from within the EU. This Workshop aims to bring together leaders in this field to have open, in-depth discussions about the current performance of compound semiconductor detectors, the challenges and problems that they have experienced and their view of the developments that are still required to meet the needs of the community in the future.
