Improved manufacturing and performance of the dual-sided microstructured semiconductor neutron detector (DS-MSND)

Ochs, Taylor R.; Bellinger, Steven L.; Fronk, Ryan G.; Henson, Luke C.; Hutchins, R. M.; McGregor, Douglas S.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2018.12.011

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…MSNDs have small channels etched into the surface semiconductor substrate, which are backfilled with a neutron-reactive material. Using this method, the thermal-neutron detection efficiency for single-sided MSNDs can be raised to >30%, and over 65% for double-sided MSNDs, thereby making this a potential detector technology for planetary neutron spectroscopy (Bellinger et al 2013;Ochs et al 2018). The detector consists of a Si diode with etched channels backfilled with nano-sized 6 LiF powder.…”

Section: Neutron Detection Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To meet these demands, we have developed a semiconductor-based lowenergy neutron detection system capable of differentiating thermal and epithermal neutrons. The system uses multiple microstructured semiconductor neutron detectors (MSNDs) arranged into a planar-type detector array (McGregor et al 2015;Ochs et al 2018). We experimentally measured the performance of three different configurations of the low-energy neutron detection system for spaceflight application, which resulted in a functioning sensor system prototype that is able to detect and differentiate thermal and epithermal neutrons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A semiconductor-based neutron detection system for planetary exploration

Soto

Fronk

Neal

et al. 2020

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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We explore the use of microstructured semiconductor neutron detectors (MSNDs) to map the ratio between thermal neutrons and higher energy neutrons. The system consists of alternating layers of modular neutron detectors (MNDs), each comprising arrays of twentyfour MSNDs, and high-density polyethylene moderators (HDPE) with gadolinium shielding to filter between thermal neutrons and higher energy neutrons. We experimentally measured the performance of three different configurations and demonstrated that the sensor system prototypes detect and differentiate thermal and epithermal neutrons. We discuss future planetary exploration applications of this compact, semiconductor-based low-energy neutron detection system.

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Section: Neutron Detection Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A semiconductor-based neutron detection system for planetary exploration

Soto

Fronk

Neal

et al. 2020

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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“…The incorporation of lithium into MAPB allowed for the detection of thermal neutrons through the 6 Li(n,α) 3 H thermal neutron capture reaction. Natural lithium, however, is only 7% 6 Li and 93% 7 Li. As a result, a 2.5% substitution with natural LiCl precursors resulted in a LiMAPB detector with a 6 Li atomic fraction less than 0.015% (less than 150 ppm), as shown in Table 3.…”

Section: Structural Properties Of Limapbmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…However, except for lithium indium diselenide and LiInP 2 Se 6, no semiconductor material intrinsically contains a large Q-value reaction for dual γ/neutron sensings, such as lithium, boron, or gadolinium. Using conversion layers with these isotopes on semiconductor detectors such as silicon provides decent thermal neutron detection efficiencies but are not suitable for γ ray spectroscopy. , Further, the short range of the secondary charged particles means that the γ ray region of the spectrum (below 3 MeV) will be contaminated by the neutron response due to intrinsic self-shielding within the conversion layer. This means that very thin layers are required to mitigate this effect, which lowers the thermal neutron sensing efficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithium Chloride-Substituted Methylammonium Lead Tribromide Perovskites for Dual γ/Neutron Sensing

Tan

Dryzhakov

Higgins

et al. 2022

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Dual γ/neutron radiation sensors are a critical component of the nuclear security mission to prevent the proliferation of a special nuclear material (SNM). While highperforming semiconductors such as high purity germanium (HPGe) and CdZnTe (CZT) already exist in the nuclear security enterprise, their high cost and/or logistical burdens make widespread deployment difficult to achieve. Metal lead halide perovskites (MHPs) have attracted interest in recent years to address this challenge. In particular, methylammonium lead tribromide (CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 , MAPbBr 3 , or MAPB) has been widely evaluated for its radiation sensing capabilities. While previous studies have demonstrated low-energy X-ray and α particle sensing of MAPB-based detectors and several studies discuss the potential for γ ray sensing, neutron sensing of this material has been rarely explored. Here, we explore the incorporation of lithium in the form of LiCl into the MAPB structure to add thermal neutron sensitivity. Characterizations of the lithium-doped MAPB crystals demonstrate that quality growths are achievable with single crystals that exhibit high crystallinity, no phase change, and high macroscopic bulk quality. Finally, we report on the first demonstrated γ ray and thermal neutron sensing based on lithium-doped MAPB single crystals, which is a significant milestone in the development of 3D dual γ/neutron MHP sensors.

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“…Thus, the output response of the semiconductor neutron detector indirectly realizes the detection of neutrons. Several groups have made substantial early contributions to the development of Si-based neutron detectors [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15]. Typically, the thermal neutron intrinsic detection efficiency for thin-film-coated detectors is lower than 5% [6], [10], [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Detection Efficiency of Silicon Carbide Neutron Detector Using Double Trench

et al. 2023

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In this article, we propose a double-trenchtype silicon carbide (SiC) neutron detector and model it using the concept of a unit cell on the GEANT4 platform. When the low-level discriminator (LLD) value was fixed at 300 keV, the structural parameters of this double-trench-type SiC neutron detector were optimized to maximize the intrinsic detection efficiency. Compared with the single trench type, the doubletrench-type SiC neutron detector can significantly improve the neutron intrinsic detection efficiency within a limited trench depth, which was especially suitable for the current technological status that SiC materials can only be used for shallow trench etching. Apart from optimizing the structural parameters, the energy deposition spectra in the SiC detector region by the generated secondary charged particles upon thermal neutron interaction in neutron conversion materials ( 10 B and 6 LiF) have also been estimated. It can be found that the double-trench-type SiC neutron detector counts significantly increased in the low-energy range, while the counts in the high-energy range are only slightly decreased. This is also the essential reason why the intrinsic detection efficiency of the double-trench-type SiC neutron detector was significantly improved compared to the single-trench-type SiC neutron detector.

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Improved manufacturing and performance of the dual-sided microstructured semiconductor neutron detector (DS-MSND)

Cited by 11 publications

References 19 publications

A semiconductor-based neutron detection system for planetary exploration

A semiconductor-based neutron detection system for planetary exploration

Lithium Chloride-Substituted Methylammonium Lead Tribromide Perovskites for Dual γ/Neutron Sensing

Improving Detection Efficiency of Silicon Carbide Neutron Detector Using Double Trench

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