Dosimetric characterization of CdZnTe radiation detectors under electron-beam irradiation

With the growing complexity of modern radiotherapy, the demand for dosimeters capable of delivering real-time, high-resolution, and reliable measurements has grown significantly. Although cadmium-zinc-tellurite (CZT) detectors have emerged as potential solutions to this growing demand, the lack of comprehensive characterization data for these detectors deters their application in clinical electron-beam dosimetry, especially for high-precision tasks such as small-field and point-dose dosimetry. In this study, we systematically characterized CZT detectors, emphasizing the performance trade-offs associated with detector thickness for therapeutic electron-beam dosimetry. The performance of two CZT detectors (6 × 6 mm²), with thicknesses of 5 and 8 mm, was evaluated using a clinical linear accelerator (LINAC) over an electron energy range of 6-18 MeV. Both detectors demonstrated stable baseline performance, including proportional dose linearity (R² > 0.997), dose-rate independence, and excellent long-term stability (<1.3% variation over two months). Furthermore, a distinct thickness-dependent trade-off was identified: while both configurations exhibited highly comparable dose responses at the 6-MeV baseline, the 8-mm detector exhibited better energy capture efficiency for higher-energy electrons. By contrast, the 5‑mm detector offered enhanced angular isotropy with respect to the gantry angle as well as reduced signal variation (±3.5% vs. ± 6.4%), emerging as more suitable for rotational therapies and geometrically demanding scenarios. Additionally, a nonmonotonic energy dependence was observed, characterized by a pronounced response peak at 15 MeV, which was likely attributable to bremsstrahlung photon contamination from the LINAC head. These findings demonstrate that detector thickness serves as an application-specific optimization factor for sensitivity and angular fidelity, offering a practical framework for deploying CZT detectors in both initial clinical evaluations and challenging extra-clinical radiation environments.