Fabrication of ZnSe:Te by Hot Pressing Techniques

We have recently fabricated tellurium-doped zinc selenide (ZnSe:Te) in a robust optical ceramic form, in the first synthesis of this remarkable material from a precursor powder, using powder consolidation techniques. We utilized two techniques in particular-hot uniaxial and hot isostatic pressing-in order to achieve the desired physical and chemical properties, and we are continuing our efforts to refine processing methodologies and parameters to improve this material's physical characteristics and performance. ZnSe:Te promises major advances in radiation imaging and spectroscopy applications with its potentially higher brightness than current scintillators such as CsI:Tl and NaI:Tl, fast emission (~3 μs and ~40 μs), negligible afterglow (<;0.05% at 6 ms), above-average density (> 5.2 g/cm
³
), and light emission in the visible range (610-650 nm). This paper will describe our fabrication methods and report our preliminary performance characterization results.