Radiation Silicon Carbide Detectors Based on Ion Implantation of Boron

Radiation detectors based on radiation-hardened semiconductor such as silicon carbide (SiC), have received considerable attention in many applications such as in outer space, high energy physics experiments, gas and oil prospection, and nuclear reactors. In the frame work of the European project I_SMART (Innovative Sensor for Material Ageing and Radiation Testing), we demonstrated for the first time the reliability of thermal neutron detectors realized by standard ion implantation of boron atoms to form a neutron converter layer (NCL). Two types of detectors were realized; the first was implanted by aluminum to create the p⁺-layer, and then implanted by boron (¹⁰B) to realize the NCL. The second type was based on epitaxial p⁺- layer, and was implanted by into the aluminum metallic contact in order to avoid implantation-related defect within the sensitive area. Both kinds of detectors reveal to respond to thermal neutrons and gamma rays, showing consistent counting rates as a function of bias voltages, radiation intensity and type of shielding.