A Chinese state nuclear company said it has started mass production of the world’s first chip that can detect X-rays and gamma radiation, the latest sign of China’s continued efforts to seek breakthroughs in semiconductor technology.

The state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said in a statement on its official WeChat channel that the self-developed chip can measure X-ray dose rates and ranges ranging from 100 nanoSieverts per hour to 10 milliSieverts per hour. The typical dose rate of radiation exposure when flying a commercial airplane, for example, is about 3,000 nanoSieverts per hour, while that of natural background exposure is about 60 to 200 nanoSieverts per hour.

CNNC said the proposed applications are “broad”, as customers can use the chip to monitor radiation doses in various scenarios, including nuclear-related workplaces, personnel and environmental settings, after adapting the circuit based on the instructions in the manual.

It can also be integrated into smartphones and drones as a radiation sensor, which could then be used as smart devices with a radiation detection function, according to CNNC.

The sensitivity of the chip is comparable to a Geiger-Muller counter widely used in environmental measurement, despite its small size of 15 mm by 15 mm by 3 mm, according to CNNC.