Characterization of microstructured semiconductor neutron detectors

Silicon diodes with large aspect ratio microstructures backfilled with neutron-reactive material show a dramatic increase in neutron-detection efficiency beyond that of conventional thin-film coated planar devices. Described here are advancements in applications of the technology. The highest single-chip efficiency devices thus far have delivered over 30.1% intrinsic thermal-neutron detection efficiency at normal incident, and 37.6% at a 45° incident. The detectors operate as diffused pn-junction diodes each having 4-cm² active area. The solid-state silicon device operates on zero to 2.7V and utilizes simple signal amplification and counting electronic components. The intrinsic detection-efficiency for normal-incident 0.0253 eV neutrons was found for the detectors by calibrating against a calibrated ³He proportional counter.