Performance of lead iodide nuclear radiation detectors with the introduction of rare earth elements

Lead iodide has been recognized as a promising material for room temperature radiation detectors. It has a wide band-gap (∼ 2.3 eV), high atomic numbers (82, 53) and it is environmentally very stable compared to mercuric iodide. Electrical and optical properties of lead iodide grown crystals purified under the influence of selected rare earth elements have been investigated. Photo-luminescence and capacitance-voltage measurements have been performed using different rare earth elements.