Semiconductor neutron detectors

Abstract

Semiconductor neutron detectors are attracting increasing interest in many application fields, due to the shortage and high cost of 3 He gas which represented for decades the most important solution to neutron detection. The most interesting devices consist of silicon sensors featuring high aspect-ratio cavities filled with neutron converter materials (typically based on 10 B or 6 Li). Very good results have so far been obtained by different research groups in Europe, but most of all in the USA, with efficiency values up to 50% using only a single detector layer. In this paper, the state of the art in semiconductor neutron detectors will be reviewed, with emphasis on silicon based devices. Moreover, recent results from the R&D activity carried out in the framework of the INFN HYDE (HYbrid DEtector for neutrons) Project will be reported, covering design and technological aspects, as well as simulation results relevant to a new pixel sensor structure, aimed at high detection efficiency while minimizing the process complexity.