10113364Establishing new manufacturing techniques for high-value semiconductor manufacturing of X-ray dosimeters for radiotherapy in the UKClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKThis project aims to advance UK semiconductor technology for making X-ray detectors, which are crucial in various applications such as medical imaging and inspection of materials. The project focuses on two main parts: a printable ink layer that converts X-rays directly into an electrical current and an electronics layer which reads out this signal into a digital image. In this project both layers are novel semiconductor technologies. The combination of these materials will allow custom X-ray detectors to be manufactured for specific applications. The ink layer can be tuned to increase or decrease the fraction of X-rays that interact with it and the electronics layer can be changed to output different pixel sizes, dependent on the image quality required. The size and shape of the detector can also be customised for a customer including the option of having a permanently curved or flexible detector. The challenge is to refine the manufacturing process to make these technologies cost-effective and scalable. The project builds on two ground-breaking UK inventions which are already recognized worldwide. The challenges to be addressed and overcome in this project are manufacturing a larger detector size, protecting it from damage due to air humidity, and ensuring reliable performance throughout the lifespan of the detector. As a first project, we will develop a high sensitivity device to perform quality control on the X-ray radiation delivered to patients during radiotherapy to ensure the safe and accurate delivery of their treatment. Accurate dose monitoring is essential to ensure as much healthy tissues as possible is preserved, minimising secondary tumour risk and side-effects to the patient. This project will be developed with input from medical physicists and tested in a radiotherapy centre.