Evolutionary: World's Largest Class Single Crystal Diamond Radiation Detector

Opening new possibilities for medical and science

TOKYO, April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbray Co., Ltd., has successfully developed a radiation detector utilizing its proprietary high-quality, large-diameter single-crystal diamond technology. The exceptional physical properties of diamond, including radiation hardness, allow Orbray's diamond-based radiation detector to function in high-radiation environments where conventional detectors made from other materials would degrade. In addition, the composition of diamonds is closely equivalent to that of biological tissue, making it particularly well-suited for medical applications such as radiation diagnostics and therapy. Orbray has demonstrated that its diamond-based detector can achieve high-precision measurements across a wide range of radiation types—from low-energy diagnostic X-rays to high-energy therapeutic X-rays.

Diamonds have ideal physical properties for radiation detection, including high thermal and chemical stability and fast response. Additionally, diamonds are composed of carbon, with an atomic number of six, and are particularly closely equivalent to biological tissue. Diamonds have, therefore, been extensively studied as radiation detectors in the fields of nuclear engineering, nuclear fusion, high-energy physics, and medical applications. Until the 1990s, research relied on selected natural diamonds. Since the 2000s, advancements in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology have enabled the synthesis of high-purity diamonds, significantly improving detector performance. Single-crystal CVD diamonds offer high sensitivity and excellent spectral characteristics. Polycrystalline CVD diamonds have been used to obtain high sensitivity by increasing the detection area. However, they exhibit lower sensitivity and inferior spectral characteristics compared to single-crystal diamonds.

Orbray announced that it had developed a 2-inch diameter high-quality (100) free-standing diamond substrate utilizing its proprietary step-flow growth method in 2021. Based on the diamond, radiation detectors (Fig. 1) have been developed in collaboration with Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tohoku University, Tohoku Institute of Technology, and Osaka University. These radiation detectors have exhibited high sensitivity and excellent spectroscopic characteristics in X-ray systems in medical settings. The detector can be scaled to the large area configuration (Fig. 2), enabling ultra-high sensitivity. Orbray will continue to develop products while conducting user evaluations.

At the Japan Radiology Congress 2025 in Yokohama Japan from April 10th to 13th, the diamond manufacturing methods and evaluation results of the detectors will be presented. The developed actual radiation detectors will be exhibited at the Exhibition held alongside there.

【Contact】

Orbray Co., Ltd., Diamond Division

TEL：+81-3-3919-0101  E-mail: diamond-sales@orbray.com 

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