Abstract
In this work, we investigate the optimal thickness of a semiconductor diode for thin-film solid state thermal neutron detectors. We evaluate several diode materials, Si, CdTe, GaAs, C (diamond), and ZnO, and two neutron converter materials, 10B and 6LiF. Investigating a coplanar diode/converter geometry, we determine the minimum semiconductor thickness needed to achieve maximum neutron detection efficiency. By keeping the semiconductor thickness to a minimum, gamma rejection is kept as high as possible. In this way, we optimize detector performance for different thin-film semiconductor materials.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 143506 |
Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
Volume | 101 |
Issue number | 14 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Oct 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We would like to acknowledge the support of the United States Department of Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation, Grant No. ECCS-11139986.