Laue Diffraction Using Scintillator Detectors

Abstract

The Fast Acquisition Laue Camera for Neutrons (FALCON) is a thermal neutron Laue diffractometer at HZB in Berlin. The instrument comprises two scintillator plate detectors coupled to four iCCD cameras each. One detector is placed in the backscattering position, enabling neutrons to pass through the centre of the detector box. The second detector is free to be placed either in the direct transmission position, or rotated to positions around the sample. The image-intensified CCDs, supplied by Photonic Science Ltd as components of the detector units, are capable of obtaining 20-bit digitization Laue images in under ten seconds. Whilst our instrument will be used as a diffractometer primarily for crystal structure determination, the configuration of the detectors is similar to ICON at PSI in Switzerland, especially in their ‘double detector set-up’. In 2015 FALCON enters the commissioning phase whereby one of our activities will be to calibrate the detector units using CONRAD, the cold neutron imaging instrument of HZB. CONRAD will be used to characterise those factors which affect the total efficiency of the detectors i.e. cameras, lenses, CCD chips and the scintillators themselves e.g. homogeneity of the scintillator plate thickness.