Cadmium Zinc Telluride: The wonder material powering a medical 'revolution'
2 days ago
- #CZT technology
- #scientific research
- #medical imaging
- A new scanner at Royal Brompton Hospital reduces lung scan time from 45 to 15 minutes using cadmium zinc telluride (CZT).
- CZT enables highly detailed 3D medical imaging and is used in X-ray telescopes, radiation detectors, and airport security scanners.
- Kromek, a British company, is one of the few manufacturers of CZT, which is difficult to produce at an industrial scale.
- CZT-based scanners improve sensitivity, reducing radioactive substance doses by 30% in medical imaging.
- CZT detects high-energy photons with precision, creating detailed spectroscopic images in a single conversion step.
- CZT is in demand for space telescopes and research facilities like Diamond Light Source, which is upgrading with CZT detectors.
- Supply challenges exist for specialized CZT detectors, impacting research projects and space missions.
- Diamond Light Source's upgrade will use CZT to handle brighter X-rays for advanced material analysis.