First-principles study of $\gamma$-ray detector materials in perovskite halides

In an effort to search for good $\gamma$-ray detector materials, perovskite halide compounds containing heavy elements were investigated. Despite the three-dimensional network of the corner shared octahedra and the extended nature of the outermost shell, its strong ionic character leads to a large band gap, which is one of the essential criteria for $\gamma$-ray detector materials. Thus, considering high density and high atomic number, these pervoskite halides are possible candidate for $\gamma$-ray detector materials. We performed first-principles calculations to investigate electronic structures and thermodynamic properties of intrinsic defects in the selected perovskite halide, CsPbBr$_3$. The screened-exchange local density approximation scheme was employed to correct the underestimation of the band gap in the LDA method. As a result, the calculated band gap of CsPbBr$_3$ is found to be suitable for $\gamma$-ray detection. Furthermore, defect formation energy calculations allow us to predict thermodynamic and electronic properties of possible intrinsic defects, which affect detector efficiency and energy resolution.