A UK company is building an X-ray detector from lead halide perovskite that costs 90% less than current high-end systems, shrinking a $100,000–$200,000 device to a fraction of the price while matching its performance. Current X-ray detectors fall into two camps. Indirect detectors—used in hospitals and airports—are cheap but produce blurry images. Direct detectors capture far sharper images but are prohibitively expensive and difficult to manufacture at scale. This project tackles that bottleneck by scaling a prototype from 0.1 cm² to a full 100 cm² detector, using a proprietary perovskite material that converts X-rays directly into electrical signals without the light-conversion step that degrades image quality. If successful, the technology could transform industrial inspection, medical diagnostics, and security screening. The team is testing the detector with Mars, the confectionary company, to find contaminants like metal and plastic in food production lines. The detector achieves resolution below 50 micrometres, sensitivity above 1000 µC/Gy·cm², and can image ten times more frequently than current systems. The company projects £30 million in revenue and roughly 50 skilled UK jobs by 2031, while aligning with the government’s semiconductor and quantum strategies. The goal is to make high-performance X-ray imaging affordable enough for sectors that currently cannot justify the cost.
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**LHP-X: Developing Scalable, Affordable, High-Performance Lead Halide Perovskite Direct Detectors to Transform X-ray Imaging for Critical Industries** Quantum Solutions is developing a groundbreaking X-ray detector technology using proprietary lead halide perovskite (LHP) materials to transform imaging performance across industries like healthcare, food safety, and security. Direct X-ray detectors offer superior image quality compared to widely-used indirect technologies, but are limited by high costs ($100,000--$200,000 per unit) and low production scalability, making them inaccessible to many critical sectors. Our innovative approach addresses these barriers by reducing costs by 90% while maintaining state-of-the-art performance. The project focuses on scaling our existing prototype (0.1 cm²) to a full-scale 100 cm² detector, validated in real-world trials with test materials provided by MARS, a leading global confectionary company. The technology will be tested to detect contaminants such as metal, polyurethane, and candy pan scrap, showcasing its application in industrial inspection and relevant environemnts. By achieving key performance metrics - including 1000 uC/Gycm² sensitivity, and the ability to perform 10x more frequent imaging - this project aims to revolutionise X-ray imaging at a fraction of the cost of current systems. This work aligns with the UK Government's Industrial, Quantum, and Semiconductor Strategies, supporting domestic supply chain resilience and advancing critical technologies. With a projected global X-ray detector market of $10.68bn by 2030, Quantum Solutions is positioned to drive substantial economic and societal benefits, including ~50 skilled UK-based jobs and £30m revenue by 2031\. By democratising high-performance X-ray imaging, Quantum Solutions is enabling safer food production, more accurate medical diagnostics, and enhanced security applications, unlocking the full potential of X-ray technology for public and industrial benefit.
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