Hard X-ray detection using a single 100 nm diameter nanowire.

Wallentin, Jesper; Osterhoff, Markus; Wilke, Robin N; Persson, Karl-Magnus; Wernersson, Lars-Erik; Sprung, Michael; Salditt, Tim · Nano Lett · 2014

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Submicron sized sensors could allow higher resolution in X-ray imaging and diffraction measurements, which are ubiquitous for materials science and medicine. We present electrical measurements of a single 100 nm diameter InP nanowire transistor exposed to hard X-rays. The X-ray induced conductance is over 5 orders of magnitude larger than expected from reported data for X-ray absorption and carrier lifetimes. Time-resolved measurements show very long characteristic lifetimes on the order of seconds, tentatively attributed to long-lived traps, which give a strong amplification effect. As a proof of concept, we use the nanowire to directly image an X-ray nanofocus with submicron resolution.