The use of large area silicon sensors for thermal neutron detection

Schulte, Robert; Swanson, F. R.; Kesselman, Martin

doi:10.1016/0168-9002(94)91617-9

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Additionally, the microscopic thermal neutron absorption cross section decreases with increasing neutron energy, with a dependence proportional to the inverse of the neutron velocity (1/v) over much of the energy range [5,6]. With an atomic density of 1.3 x 10 23 atoms/cm 3 , the resulting macroscopic thermal neutron absorption cross section (S) for pure 10 B is of 500/cm. The average range for a 0.840 MeV 7 Li ion in pure 10 B is 1.6 mm and the average range for a 1.47 MeV a-particle in pure 10 B is 3.6 mm.…”

Section: B Coatingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With an atomic density of 1.3 x 10 23 atoms/cm 3 , the resulting macroscopic thermal neutron absorption cross section (S) for pure 10 B is of 500/cm. The average range for a 0.840 MeV 7 Li ion in pure 10 B is 1.6 mm and the average range for a 1.47 MeV a-particle in pure 10 B is 3.6 mm. The longest range that a particle can transit through the reactive film and still retain detectable energy for a given system is referred to as the effective range, L [7,8].…”

Section: B Coatingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Recent results from thin-film-coated semiconductor neutron detectors

McGregor

Klann

Sanders

et al. 2003

X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detectors and Applications IV

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Semiconductor based thermal neutron detectors provide a compact technology for neutron detection and imaging. Such devices can be produced by externally coating semiconductor charged particle detectors with neutron reactive films that convert free neutrons into charged-particle reaction products. Commonly used films for such devices utilize the 10 B(n,a) 7 Li reaction or the 6 Li(n,a) 3 H reaction, which are attractive due to the relatively high energies imparted to the reaction products. Unfortunately, thin film or "foil" type thermal neutron detectors suffer from self-absorption effects that ultimately limit neutron detection efficiency. Design considerations that maximize the efficiency and performance of such devices are discussed. Linear arrays fabricated from thin-film-coated pixel detectors are presented with results.

show abstract

Section: B Coatingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: B Coatingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent results from thin-film-coated semiconductor neutron detectors

McGregor

Klann

Sanders

et al. 2003

X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detectors and Applications IV

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 The development of a charge-coupled device (CCD)/scintillator combination technique for thermal neutron imaging has been reported, but the primarily available commercial devices are for X-ray diffraction 2 [4], [11]. Large-area amorphous silicon flat panel readouts with gadolinium foil converters ( Gd and Gd) have been used for neutron imaging [12]. These detectors pose performance limitations in terms of resolution, speed of operation, signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios, and dynamic range.…”

Section: B Neutron Detectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structured LiI scintillator for thermal neutron imaging

Nagarkar

Tipnis²,

Gaysinskiy³

et al. 2001

IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We are currently developing high-resolution high-efficiency microcolumnar LiI films for thermal neutron imaging. The films are produced by the vapor deposition of LiI on a fiber-optic substrate and hermetically sealed in a specially designed aluminum package. Our work has produced up to 1.2-mm-thick films with column diameters of approximately 30 m. We have also performed imaging studies by optically coupling some of these films to a fiber-optic taper-based charge-coupled device. The imaging performance of the system was experimentally evaluated at Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., as well as at the thermal neutron port of the University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Reactor. The LiI films exhibited excellent scintillation characteristics with a spatial resolution as high as 4.5 lp/mm (line pairs per millimeter). This paper outlines the film characterization and performance evaluation conducted during the course of the study. The new sensor described here is expected to usher in the development of large-area high-resolution digital thermal neutron detectors with improved detection efficiency and dynamic range and faster readout times than the current sensors.Index Terms-Digital neutron imaging, neutron radiography, structured scintillator, thermal neutron imaging.

show abstract

“…The (n,g) reactions yield numerous low energy conversion electrons, with a general distribution ranging from 29 up to 246 keV (Schulte et al, 1994). However, the largest yields are from conversion electrons with energies near 70 keV, with all other energy emissions above 85 keV having much lower branching efficiencies (Schulte et al, 1994). As a result, the reaction products from Gd are mostly low energy conversion electrons, which can be easily confused with background gamma ray or beta particle interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, only 60% of thermal neutron captures result in the release of a conversion electron, which reduces the effective thermal cross section of natural Gd to 27,600 barns. The (n,g) reactions yield numerous low energy conversion electrons, with a general distribution ranging from 29 up to 246 keV (Schulte et al, 1994). However, the largest yields are from conversion electrons with energies near 70 keV, with all other energy emissions above 85 keV having much lower branching efficiencies (Schulte et al, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%