Recent advancements in using perovskite single crystals for gamma-ray detection

Perovskites in the form of polycrystalline thin films have been extensively studied in solar cell research over the past few years. Recently, monocrystalline perovskites have been discovered with great potentials for the use in radiation detection, in which higher energy photons (X-ray and gamma ray) or heavy charged alpha particles compared with low-energy visible light in solar cell research need to be detected. In this review, we summarize the state-of-the-art perovskite single crystals which have been investigated specifically for gamma photon detection. The physical, optical, and electrical properties will be reviewed and compared with today’s market-dominating gamma-ray detector materials, such as cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) and its low-cost alternative cadmium zinc telluride selenium (CdZnTeSe) single crystals. Lastly, suggestions are proposed for the future development in this research direction.