Performance of a 4H-SiC Schottky diode as a compact sized detector for neutron pulse form measurements

Abstract

4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) detectors are desirable for neutron pulse form measurement for their compact size, excellent radiation resistance and hydrogen free composition. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of a 4H-SiC detector to measure the pulse form of a neutron burst. A 4H-SiC detector is fabricated and tested in the pulsed neutron field of the Chinese Fast Burst Reactor II (CFBR II). Important parameters such as the breeding period and the FWHM of the neutron pulse are derived from the experimental result of the 4H-SiC detector. These parameters agree well with those from a plastic scintillator detector. The divergences are only 0.5%, demonstrating that the 4H-SiC detector can yield a high fidelity time profile of the CFBR II pulse. The difference in peak centroid of alpha spectra is negligible for the 4H-SiC detector even after 18 reactor pulses (a neutron fluence of 8.41×1012cm−2), confirming the excellent radiation hardness of the 4H-SiC detector in pulsed neutron field. This study therefore indicates that 4H-SiC detectors can be usable as a compact sized detector to measure neutron pulses.