Development of a High-Efficiency Device for Thermal Neutron Detection Using a Sandwich of Two High-Purity ¹⁰B...

Area of Science:

• Nuclear instrumentation
• Materials science for neutron detection

Background:

• Helium-3 (3He) shortage impacts neutron detection applications.
• Boron-10 (10B) is a promising alternative neutron converter material.
• Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) has been explored for 10B layer fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved neutron detector addressing 3He scarcity.
• To enhance neutron detection efficiency, sensitivity, and gamma background discrimination.
• To validate a novel dual-layer 10B detector design.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of two 1.5 μm thick 10B conversion layers using PLD.
• Integration of the dual 10B layers with two solid-state silicon detectors.
• Performance evaluation using an Am-Be neutron source (approx. 2.2 × 106 n/s flux).

Main Results:

• The dual-layer 10B detector demonstrated significantly enhanced performance compared to single-layer designs.
• Improved efficiency, sensitivity, and discrimination against gamma background signals were observed.
• Experimental results showed strong agreement with simulation data.

Conclusions:

• The developed dual-layer 10B neutron detector offers a viable alternative to 3He-based systems.
• The novel detection geometry enhances neutron detection capabilities.
• This work contributes to advancing neutron detection technology.