Silicon substrate diamond film detector for gamma dose rate measurement in a high radiation environment

Abstract

A detector that can accurately measure gamma (γ) rays in a high radiation environment was developed to detect high-intensity and high-energy γ rays in deep space. Traditional semiconductor detectors cannot work in high radiation environments for a long time, and pure single-crystal diamond detectors cannot be popularised on a large scale due to their high cost. We proposed a diamond γ-radiation (SD) detector with a highly oriented diamond film structure on a highly oriented boron-doped silicon substrate to measure γ-dose rate in high radiation environments. The SD detector was developed using several microelectromechanical processes, such as microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition. Consequently, in radiation from the 12,000 Ci 60Co source, when the dose rate was 200 Gy/h, the output signal could stabilise within 1 s. Within the dose rate of 10–190 Gy/h, the output showed a linear relation with the changing dose rate. The detector sensitivity reference value was S = 2.08 × 10−20 C · cm2 at a distance of 3.61 m from the 12,000 Ci 60Co source. Our study can provide guidance for deep space γ-ray detection.