A prototype for SANDD: A highly-segmented pulse-shape-sensitive plastic scintillator detector incorporating silicon photomultiplier arrays

Abstract

We report the first clear observation of neutron/gamma-ray pulse-shape sensitivity of a fully-instrumented 8 × 8 array of plastic scintillator segments coupled to two 5 cm × 5 cm 64-channel SiPM arrays as part of a study of the key metrics of a prototype antineutrino detector module designed for directional sensitivity. SANDD (a Segmented AntiNeutrino Directional Detector) will eventually comprise a central module of 64 elongated segments of 6 Li-doped pulse-shape-sensitive scintillator rods, each with a square cross section of 5.4 mm × 5.4 mm, surrounded by larger cross section bars of the same material. The most important metrics with the potential to impact the performance of the central module of SANDD are neutron and gamma-ray pulse-shape sensitivity using silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), particle identification via scintillator rod multiplicity, and energy and position resolution. As a first step, we constructed a prototype detector to investigate the performance of a central SANDD-like module using two 64-channel SiPM arrays and rods of undoped pulse-shape-sensitive plastic scintillator.

Evaluation of a Positron-Emission-Tomography-based SiPM readout for Compact Segmented Neutron Imagers

“…15. When comparing these results with the earlier SANDD prototype [15], which used full-waveform digitization, the position resolution observed here was ∼50% worse over the energy range of 0.2-1.2 MeVee.…”

“…The mean energy resolution, as measured by a Gaussian fit of the Compton edge of each of the 64 scintillator rods, was 22% for 137 Cs. This was somewhat worse than the resolution of the same detector (∼16%) measured using full-waveform digitizers [15]. The linearity of the detector energy response up to 1274 keV is shown in Fig.…”

“…One key missing component however, is a high-channel-density, lightweight, low-power electronic readout capable of simultaneously measuring the particle energy and PSD. For example, in our previous setup, like in many multi-channel systems, we used VME-based full-waveform digitizers mounted in a crate [15,16], a solution which was heavy and with highpower consumption. The important characteristics of an electronic data acquisition system include:…”

“…The scintillator used in this work is 6 Li-doped PSD plastic with a light yield of approximately 9,000 photons per MeV [16]. For the iSANDD, the scintillator bars were about the same length of the first SANDD prototype [15], which used undoped PSD plastic. The yield of all three detector configurations were consistent with commercial plastic (within 10%).…”

Spectral photon sorting for large-scale Cherenkov and scintillation detectors

“…By coupling an LAPPD to a dichroicon one could use the central pixels to detect the long-wavelength light and the outer pixels for the short-wavelength light. Also possible instead of PMTs is an array of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), similar to the device described in [44], to perform pixelated detection of the light sorted by the dichroicon.…”