Development of a real-time boron imaging method for BNCT using CdTe-DSD at the JRR-3

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a neutron-based cancer treatment requiring a real-time ¹⁰B dose monitor to optimize effectiveness. We report using of the cadmium telluride double-sided strip detector (CdTe-DSD), distinguished by its high-energy resolution in full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 7.3 keV at 511 keV and a spatial resolution of 250μm for accurate boron imaging. Employing the CdTe-DSD with a pinhole collimator, our experiment at Japan Research Reactor No. 3 (JRR-3) evaluated the ¹⁰B distribution in a solid sample containing a ¹⁰B concentration of 0.3 mg during neutron exposure. Although measuring the ¹⁰B signal is significantly affected by the background from the γ-rays of ¹¹³Cd, we successfully obtained a circular projection image with a diameter of 11.5 mm, revealing the precise location of ¹⁰B, with a counting rate of 0.115 cps and SNR of approximately 25.7%. The results reveal the CdTe-DSD's capability to enhance BNCT by providing detailed insights into the ¹⁰B distribution within the sample with high fidelity.