Proposal for a new room temperature X-ray detector-thallium lead iodide

Numerous compounds have been considered for room temperature semiconductor detector applications. Most of them howewer are difficult to obtain as crys tals and to handle. TlPbI3 is a promising candidate, because it forms rhomb ohedral crystals which do not have a structural phase transition between ro om temperature and their melting point. Its low vapour pressure facilitates the crystal growth and it has a low melting point (619 K), high Z, high de nsity (6.6 g/cm(3)), and a bandgap of 2.3 eV. X-ray photoconductivity measu rements indicate that this material can be used in room temperature solid s tate detectors.