1-D array of micro-structured neutron detectors

A 1024-channel pixel array has been constructed utilizing the perforated diode neutron detector design currently produced at Kansas State University. In this design a single pixel consists of a pn-junction diode fabricated around a single trench 4 cm long, 30 microns wide and 100 microns deep. The trench is filled with ⁶LiF powder to provide conversion of neutrons to energetic charged particles which can be captured in the diode depletion region. A pitch of 100 microns between pixels has been achieved and less than 120 micron spatial resolution has been demonstrated experimentally with a 32-channel prototype in previous work. Also, the first array demonstrated 12% thermal neutron counting efficiency. The 1024-channel array was produced by tiling 16 chips side-by-side, each containing 64 pixels. Signal processing is handled by 16 PATARA chips for amplification and thresholds, developed at University of Tennessee. The entire board assembly and digital communications to PC were handled by the KSU Electronics Design Laboratory utilizing a PCI card developed at ORNL.