Crystal Thrall
Graduate student
E-mail: thrall@umich.edu
Phone:
Graduated with Ph.D.
Crystal’s research focuses on the development of alternative room-temperature semiconductor detector materials such as thallium-bromide, mercury-sulfide and mercury-oxide. Because these materials are relatively new, this project presents unique challenges and opportunities. Due to its high atomic number (Tl: 81, Br: 35), density (7.56 g/cc) and wide band gap (2.68 eV) thallium-bromide is a highly valued semiconductor detector concept and has been shown to produce <1% energy resolution in a pixellated device. However, thallium-bromide suffers from polarization at room temperature and as a result we characterize performance at -20C. Mercury-Sulfide is a naturally occurring semiconductor (cinnabar) and Crystal’s current focus on this material is to develop a working detector from natural cinnabar formations and characterize its performance.
Education
Masters of Science in Engineering in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 2008
Bachelors of Science in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 2006
Internships and Jobs
Dominion Virginia Power Company 2006-2007
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Summer 2006
Westinghouse, Summer 2005