Fast Neutron Detection With 4H-SiC Based Diode Detector up to 500 °C Ambient Temperature

Szalkai, D.; Ferone, R.; Issa, F.; Klix, A.; Lazar, Mihai; Lyoussi, A.; Ottaviani, Laurent; Tüttö, P.; Vervisch, V.

doi:10.1109/tns.2016.2522921

Cited by 34 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…Due to the extreme radiation hardness and the low leakage current of SiC junctions, this material has been proposed for the fabrication of radiation detectors [5,6], including neutrons [7], allowing for operation under harsh conditions, for instance, at high temperatures and under intense radiation fields [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theory of the Thermal Stability of Silicon Vacancies and Interstitials in 4H–SiC

Coutinho

2021

Crystals

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This paper presents a theoretical study of the electronic and dynamic properties of silicon vacancies and self-interstitials in 4H–SiC using hybrid density functional methods. Several pending issues, mostly related to the thermal stability of this defect, are addressed. The silicon site vacancy and the carbon-related antisite-vacancy (CAV) pair are interpreted as a unique and bistable defect. It possesses a metastable negative-U neutral state, which “disproportionates” into VSi+ or VSi−, depending on the location of the Fermi level. The vacancy introduces a (−/+) transition, calculated at Ec−1.25 eV, which determines a temperature threshold for the annealing of VSi into CAV in n-type material due to a Fermi level crossing effect. Analysis of a configuration coordinate diagram allows us to conclude that VSi anneals out in two stages—at low temperatures (T≲600 °C) via capture of a mobile species (e.g., self-interstitials) and at higher temperatures (T≳1200 °C) via dissociation into VC and CSi defects. The Si interstitial (Sii) is also a negative-U defect, with metastable q=+1 and q=+3 states. These are the only paramagnetic states of the defect, and maybe that explains why it escaped detection, even in p-type material where the migration barriers are at least 2.7 eV high.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theory of the Thermal Stability of Silicon Vacancies and Interstitials in 4H–SiC

Coutinho

2021

Crystals

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“…Silicon carbide detectors (SiC) are a type of SSD whose active volume is made from silicon carbide, a crystalline material known for its resilience and high radiation hardness since the late 1950s [ 9 ]. SiC can withstand high temperatures [ 10 ], radiation [ 11 ] and neutron fluxes [ 12 ]; furthermore, in recent years, new manufacturing techniques have allowed the production of SiC detectors with fewer defects and with a wider range of geometries [ 13 ]. The detector responses of these new SiC detectors were characterized in the past with 14 MeV Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) neutrons [ 14 ] and over a wide range of fast neutron energies [ 15 ], showing energy resolutions and efficiencies comparable to those of the diamond detectors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detector Response to D-D Neutrons and Stability Measurements with 4H Silicon Carbide Detectors

et al. 2021

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The use of wide-band-gap solid-state neutron detectors is expanding in environments where a compact size and high radiation hardness are needed, such as spallation neutron sources and next-generation fusion machines. Silicon carbide is a very promising material for use as a neutron detector in these fields because of its high resistance to radiation, fast response time, stability and good energy resolution. In this paper, measurements were performed with neutrons from the ISIS spallation source with two different silicon carbide detectors together with stability measurements performed in a laboratory under alpha-particle irradiation for one week. Some consideration to the impact of the casing of the detector on the detector’s counting rate is given. In addition, the detector response to Deuterium-Deuterium (D-D) fusion neutrons is described by comparing neutron measurements at the Frascati Neutron Generator with a GEANT4 simulation. The good stability measurements and the assessment of the detector response function indicate that such a detector can be used as both a neutron counter and spectrometer for 2–4 MeV neutrons. Furthermore, the absence of polarization effects during neutron and alpha irradiation makes silicon carbide an interesting alternative to diamond detectors for fast neutron detection.

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“…4, which has been reproduced from Reference 19. In addition to the prominent peak from the 12 C(n,α) 9 Be reaction, a family of peaks corresponding to the 28 Si(n,α) 25 Mg reaction is also present. The highest-energy peak corresponds to the production of the ground state of 25 Mg with the deposition of a total energy of 11,346 keV in the SiC detector volume.…”

Section: Neutron Response Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance and Applications of Silicon Carbide Neutron Detectors in Harsh Nuclear Environments

Ruddy¹,

Ottaviani

Lyoussi

et al. 2021

EPJ Web Conf.

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Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor is an ideal material for solid-state nuclear radiation detectors to be used in high-temperature, high-radiation environments. Such harsh environments are typically encountered in nuclear reactor measurement locations as well as high-level radioactive waste and/or “hot” dismantlingdecommissioning operations. In the present fleet of commercial nuclear reactors, temperatures in excess of 300 °C are often encountered, and temperatures up to 800 °C are anticipated in advanced reactor designs. The wide bandgap for SiC (3.27 eV) compared to more widely used semiconductors such as silicon (1.12 eV at room temperature) has allowed low-noise measurements to be carried out at temperatures up to 700 °C. The concentration of thermally induced charge carriers in SiC at 700 °C is about four orders of magnitude less than that of silicon at room temperature. Furthermore, SiC radiation detectors have been demonstrated to be much more resistant to the effects of radiation-induced damage than more conventional semiconductors such as silicon, germanium, or cadmium zinc telluride (CZT), and have been demonstrated to be operational after extremely high gamma-ray, neutron, and charged-particle doses. The purpose of the present review is to provide an updated state of the art for SiC neutron detectors and to explore their applications in harsh high-temperature, high-radiation nuclear reactor applications. Conclusions related to the current state-of-the-art of SiC neutron detectors will be presented, and specific ideal applications will be discussed.

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Fast Neutron Detection With 4H-SiC Based Diode Detector up to 500 °C Ambient Temperature

Cited by 34 publications

References 18 publications

Theory of the Thermal Stability of Silicon Vacancies and Interstitials in 4H–SiC

Theory of the Thermal Stability of Silicon Vacancies and Interstitials in 4H–SiC

Detector Response to D-D Neutrons and Stability Measurements with 4H Silicon Carbide Detectors

Performance and Applications of Silicon Carbide Neutron Detectors in Harsh Nuclear Environments

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