6:1 aspect ratio silicon pillar based thermal neutron detector filled with 10B
Abstract
Current helium-3 tube based thermal neutron detectors have shortcomings in achieving simultaneously high efficiency and low voltage while maintaining adequate fieldability performance. By using a three-dimensional silicon p-i-n diode pillar array filled with boron-10 these constraints can be overcome. The fabricated pillar structured detector reported here is composed of 2μm diameter silicon pillars with a 4μm pitch and height of 12μm. A thermal neutron detection efficiency of 7.3+/-0.6% and a neutron-to-gamma discrimination of 105 at 2V reverse bias were measured for this detector. When scaled to larger aspect ratio, a high efficiency device is possible.
- Publication:
-
Applied Physics Letters
- Pub Date:
- September 2008
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.2985817
- Bibcode:
- 2008ApPhL..93m3502N
- Keywords:
-
- 29.40.Wk;
- 85.30.Kk;
- Solid-state detectors;
- Junction diodes