Electroless ink-jet printing on CdZnTe

CdZnTe is one of the most exploited materials for the realization of room temperature X- and gamma- ray detectors. However the final cost of the devices remains a limiting factor for large-scale applications. A strong effort was done in the last years for decreasing the cost of both crystals and device fabrication processes. Because of the important role played by the metal-CZT interface on the functioning of the final device, a special attention should be payed to the technology employed in the realization of metal contacts. A novel, reproducible and low-cost method for metal deposition on CZT surface has been developed combining two different technologies: ink-jet printing and electroless deposition. With this technique it is possible to avoid the photolithography process and still obtain complex contact patterns with a good spatial resolution and high reproducibility. The current-voltage characteristics of the obtained contacts are also reported, demonstrating good electrical properties.