X-ray Sensitive hybrid organic photodetectors with embedded CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots

X-ray detection is an important technology for medical diagnosis as well as industrial and security inspections. While today's commercial X-ray detectors are bulky, photodetectors based on organic semiconductors have attracted increasing attention owing to their low temperature processing capabilities, flexibility and low cost. Nonetheless, the low X-ray attenuation coefficient of organic semiconductors still hinders their practical application. Herein, a new organic-inorganic hybrid strategy is proposed to improve the X-ray sensitivity of organic photodetectors (OPDs). A solution-processed X-ray sensitive hybrid OPD is fabricated by embedding CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) into a P3HT:PC61BM bulk heterojunction photodiode. The QDs, acting as embedded scintillators in the organic active layer, maintain a high radioluminescence. The proposed hybrid structure enables indirect X-ray detection in a comprehensive manner. These hybrid photodetectors exhibit suppressed dark current densities in the range of tens of picoamperes per square centimeters for different weight ratios of blended QDs. The best OPD achieves a sensitivity of 229.6 e nGy−1 mm−2 (3.67 μC Gy−1 cm−2) and a dark current of 23.3 pA cm−2 at a low operating voltage (−3 V) for 20–80 kV “soft” X-rays, thus representing great potential for the development of next generation low cost, portable, and highly sensitive X-ray detectors.