Radiation detector development
Our radiation detector research activities focus on the characterisation and development of wide band gap semiconductor and scintillator materials that are suitable for operation as radiation detectors at room temperature or above.
Materials for n/gamma discrimination
Our research resolves around:
- Direct detection such as semiconducting polymers
- Indirect detection with novel pulse shape discriminating plastic scintillators
- Novel quantum dot scintillator technology.
Get in contact
If you would like to find out more about research or want to get involved then please contact Prof Paul Sellin and Caroline Shenton-Taylor.
Plastic scintillator samples with increased absorbed radiation dose
Room temperature semiconductor detectors
We study high Z materials for high gamma detection efficiency, like cadmium telluride, cadmium zinc telluride, mercuric Iodide and thallium bromide, as well as hard low Z materials for challenging environments such as high flux and temperature, for X-ray or gamma ray, neutron and charge particle detection.
Recent work
Recent work has focused on artificial diamond and silicon carbide (epitaxial diodes as well as bulk material) for this purpose.
We produce and characterise prototype detectors using a range of radiation sources and temperatures up to 500 K. We develop pulse processing techniques to improve performance. In addition, X-ray induced refractive index changes in a radiation signature are also explored.
Get on contact
If you would like to find out more about research or want to get involved then please contact Prof Paul Sellin and/or Dr Annika Lohstroh.
Outstanding paper award 2017
In 2017, our work on silicon carbide and diamond detectors for neutron detection was recognised with the Outstanding Paper Award from the Journal of Measurement Science and Technology.
1st Author Dr M.Hodgson showing his award certificate for the outstanding paper in measurement science and technology
Group research
We work across three other research areas here in the Radiation and Medical Physics Group.
Physics research groups
Take a look at the other research we do within the Department of Physics.