Towards scalable high-resolution x-ray imaging with direct-type perovskite detectors

X-ray imaging plays a vital role in diverse fields, including medical diagnosis, industrial nondestructive testing, and security inspection. However, conventional x-ray detectors based on CdZnTe, CdTe, and a-Se suffer from inherent drawbacks such as low sensitivity, high detection limits, and elevated production costs. Metal-halide perovskites, featuring high mobility–lifetime products and large x-ray attenuation coefficients, have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation radiation detection. Over nearly a decade of rapid progress in perovskite composition engineering, material growth techniques, and device architecture optimization, the sensitivity and detection limits of perovskite-based x-ray detectors have surpassed those of many commercial counterparts. Looking forward, the primary challenge lies in achieving scalable, large-area imaging capabilities. In this review, we focus on the development of scalable perovskite x-ray imaging detectors. We first provide an overview of recent progress in perovskite x-ray detectors and summarize fabrication strategies for large-area perovskite single crystals, thin films, and wafers. We then discuss the integration of perovskite layers with backplane circuits and analyze key imaging performance metrics. Finally, we highlight the remaining challenges and propose future perspectives for realizing high-performance, large-area perovskite x-ray imaging detectors.