An Overview on Bipolar Junction Transistor as a Sensor for X-ray Beams Used in Medical Diagnosis

Abstract

Although not manufactured to be used under X-ray photons, the commercial bipolar junction transistor (BJT) is an electronic device that can be used as an ionizing radiation sensor. In this article an overview on the BJT and its principle of operation were made for the purpose of better understanding how such a semiconductor device behaves when under diagnostic X-ray beam. Therefore, it addresses some topics such as the structure of the device, the bias configuration when operating in active mode, and so on. Even knowing that the most complete theory to describe the “transistor effect” is based on quantum theory (the energy band theory of solids), here it is preferable to take a simpler experimental approach to clearly understand the operation of the BJT. In electronics, the BJT is used as a current amplifier, and depending on the bias and point of view it also becomes a voltage amplifier. In the analysis of BJT under an X-ray beam, in addition to its operation as a sensor to measure the dose or some diagnostic X-ray tube parameter, it has also led to technological innovation in the technique of digital data storage based on the effect of radiation.