Recent developments in the search for new semiconductor gamma-ray detector materials

The requirements of a semiconductor material intended to operate in a gamma-ray detector at room temperatures are discussed, and the status of the search for alternative materials is reviewed. The important material characteristics of a semiconductor gamma-ray detector material are high average atomic number, material's uniformity, resistivity, and electron and holes transport properties. Materials under investigation include GaAs, InP, TlBr, and PbI2. Theoretically, it is considered to be feasible to built a large volume semiconductor gamma-ray detector capable of good energy resolution at room temperature. But it is very unlikely that a semiconductor detector with germanium-like performance will be available in the next five years.