Abstract
The material lithium indium diselenide, a single crystal neutron sensitive semiconductor, has demonstrated its capabilities as a high resolution imaging device. The sensor was prepared with a 55 μ m pitch array of gold contacts, designed to couple with the Timepix imaging ASIC. The resulting device was tested at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, demonstrating a response to cold neutrons when enriched in 95% 6 Li. The imaging system performed a series of experiments resulting in a <200 μ m resolution limit with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) Siemens star mask and a feature resolution of 34 μ m with a knife-edge test. Furthermore, the system was able to resolve the University of Tennessee logo inscribed into a 3D printed 1 cm 3 plastic block. This technology marks the application of high resolution neutron imaging using a direct readout semiconductor.
Highlights
Neutron imaging offers a set of complementary capabilities in contrast to X-ray imaging.As an exploratory tool, neutron imaging has allowed scientists to internally explore biological and engineering systems non-destructively [1,2]
The sensor material was grown as a single crystal boule, via the vertical Bridgman process, by the collaborators at Fisk University and Y-12 [22]
Because the sensors were grown to a diameter smaller than the Timepix ASIC, the sensor only operated across a subset of the available channels
Summary
Neutron imaging offers a set of complementary capabilities in contrast to X-ray imaging. Neutron imaging has allowed scientists to internally explore biological and engineering systems non-destructively [1,2]. Semiconductors are used in photon detection because of their increased response time, energy resolution and capabilities. To reap the same benefits in neutron detection, indirect detection methods were devised. A semiconductor is doped or coated in a thin film containing one of the commonly used neutron absorbing isotopes (6 Li, 10 B, 113 Cd, 157 Gd) [3] for indirect neutron detection. Some of the lighter materials utilized in this application include LiF, B(dopant), BN, BP, B4 C [4].
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