Dark current in multilayer stabilized amorphous selenium based photoconductive x-ray detectors

We report on experimental results which show that the dark current in n-i-p structured, amorphous selenium films is independent of i-layer thickness in samples with consistently thick blocking layers. We have observed, however, a strong dependence on the n-layer thickness and positive contact metal chosen. These results indicate that the dominant source of the dark current is carrier injection from the contacts and any contribution from carriers thermally generated in the bulk of the photoconductive layer is negligible. This conclusion is supported by a description of the dark current transients at different applied fields by a model which assumes only carrier emission over a Schottky barrier. This model also predicts that while hole injection is initially dominant, some time after the application of the bias, electron injection may become the dominant source of dark current. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4730135]