Deposition of PbO thin films and its X-ray photoconductive properties

Lead oxide is a promising candidate for direct conversion of X-ray due to its high X-ray photoconductivity. High resistance lead oxide thin films were fabricated by direct current magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction and Atomic force microscope were used to characterize the crystalline structure and surface morphology of the thin films. X-ray photoconductivity was characterized by a homemade X-ray photoconductor measurement system. The effects of oxygen flow rate and annealing temperature on the microstructure and X-ray photoconductivity properties of the PbO thin films were also studied. XRD results showed that the crystal structure of the films dependent on oxygen flow rate and annealing temperature. Moreover, it is found that tetragonal PbO is superiors for X-ray detection than orthorhombic PbO.