Purification and preparation of TlBr crystals for room temperature radiation detector applications

Thallium bromide (TlBr) is a semiconductor compound with a high atomic number and a wide bandgap, being a very promising material to be used as room temperature radiation detectors. In this work, commercial TlBr powder was used for growing crystals for detector applications. To reduce impurities, this material was purified by the zone refining technique. Trace impurities at ppb/ppm level were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The efficiency of the purification was evaluated through studies of the decrease impurities concentrations in the TlBr powder and in the purified materials. The crystal quality was verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). To evaluate the crystal as a semiconductor detector, systematic measurements of the transmittance, resistivity, and the radiation response (²⁴¹Am, ⁵⁷Co, ¹²⁵I, and ¹³³Ba) gamma rays were carried out.