CdTe and Cd1-xZnxTe for nuclear detectors: facts and fictions

Both CdTe and Cd1-xZnxTe (CZT) can be considered from their physical proper ties as very goad materials for room temperature X- and gamma-rays detectio n. However, despite years of intense material research, no significant adva nce has been made to help one to choose between both semiconductors. This p aper reviews a few facts about CdTe and CZT to attempt to draw a real compa rison between both. THM-CdTe and HPB-CZT have been grown and characterized in Strasbourg. Crystal growth, alloying effects, transport properties and d efects are reviewed on the basis of our results and the published ones. The results show that it is still very difficult to claim which one is the bes t. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.