Oriented orthorhombic Lead Oxide film grown by vapour phase for X-ray detector applications

Several materials are under investigations for flat panel x-ray detector applications. Among them, PbO shows interesting properties, i.e. high sensitivity, large stopping power and high resistivity at room temperature. However, the exploitation of PbO is limited by the difficulty to obtain good quality films constituted by a single phase. In this paper, we describe a new approach for the vapour phase growth of orthorhombic PbO films. The grown layers show a single phase, good crystallinity, and preferential orientation along the c axis. Optical characterization evidenced the presence of a broad defect band. Gold contacted films showed very high electrical resistivity and appreciable response to X-ray radiation.