Neutron detection based upon a lithiated sol–gel glass

The addition of dopants in the wet chemistry formation of glass in sol–gel technology is used for many purposes. Among the uses are the fabrication of films sensitive to pH, temperature, the presence of dissolved chemicals in solutions and many others. This paper describes the use of sol–gel technology for the doping of B-10, Li-6 and U-235 into glass films applied to silicon surface barrier (SSB) detectors. Using a commercial preamp/amplifier and an IEEE-488 NIM counter, the response was recorded of the neutron profile in a neutron activation source. A portable personal computer recorded the thermal neutron map as the detector was lowered in 1.27-cm steps down a Numec thermal neutron activation source. The lithiated glass film on the SSB gave about four times the count rate of the boron-10 doped glass film. The U-235 doped glass film gave a much lower count rate, but maintained a constant output signal due to the presence of the alpha activity from the U-235 and the trace of U-234 present in the sample.