High Temperature Nuclear Particle Detector

In many applications it is necessary to use sensors which are capable of operating in regions of either high ambient temperature or radiation flux or both. Such conditions may occur in reactor cores, casings of nuclear engines, etc. For applications of this type a nuclear particle detector has been developed fron silicon carbide (SiC) which can detect charged particles, and, with the addition of a fissionable coating,, thermal neutrons at temperatures in excess of 700°C. In a limited test of radiation resistance, selected diodes have been irradiated up to 1014 protons/cm2, with alternating irradiation and annealing. At this dosage, (roughly equivalent to 1016nvt) some permanent degradation of the properties occurred. It has been shown that the crystal perfection and the purity of the original crystal are of extreme importance in preparing the detector. The junction structure must also be tailored so that efficient counting is obtained.