Neutron Detector Development Using Novel 3He

使用新型 3He 开发中子探测器

• 批准号: ST/Y509991/1
• 负责人: Charles Barton
• 金额: $ 63.72万
• 依托单位: University of York
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FY509991%2F1
• 关键词: Neutron; Detector; Development; Using; Novel

Vision:Our vision is to develop compact and portable solid-state plasma-sputtered neutron radiation detectors based on helium-3 (3He) for detecting thermal or moderated neutrons.Objectives:Our objective is to create a thin foil embedded with 3He, coupled with a similarly sized solid-state silicon detector. We will explore different geometries and flexible silicon detectors to detect the proton and potentially the 3H resulting from neutron capture reactions. These solid-state detectors with embedded 3He will be small, lightweight, highly sensitive to neutrons, and have low power requirements. For certain applications, such as security, simply detecting the presence of a neutron radioactive source above natural background levels is sufficient. We aim to develop portable systems that can be easily used in the field. We also plan to combine our embedded 3He foils with flexible amorphous silicon detectors, which we have previously developed for challenging environments like pipe assays.Importance:The demand for portable neutron detection capabilities is increasing globally. The Home Office recently invited insights for the deployment of highly mobile radiological and nuclear search and detection capabilities at border points. The need for portable neutron detectors is expected to continue growing for various purposes.Reasons for Success:3He-based detectors have been the standard for thermal neutron detection due to their high efficiency and excellent gamma/neutron discrimination. We have successfully embedded 4He into amorphous silicon foils from a previous project, achieving a column density of approximately 10^18 /cm2. We have secured new funding for a one-year project to embed 3He in foils.We will leverage our skilled staff and expertise to optimise the embedding of 3He gas in converter foils or onto solid-state detectors. Our optimised sputtering technique will be used, and we will explore nanoparticle trapping on foils or solid-state silicon detectors. This funding will enable us to build upon our expertise, investigate nanoparticle fabrication, and create stacked converter foils with silicon detectors to enhance intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency. We will also explore the coupling of converter foils with flexible silicon detectors and develop a silicon detector with embedded 3He. The University of York provides us with the necessary facilities, equipment, and expertise to bring this prototype to life.

愿景：我们的愿景是开发基于氦-3（3 He）的紧凑型便携式固态等离子体溅射中子辐射探测器，用于探测热中子或慢化中子。目标：我们的目标是创建嵌入有3 He的薄箔，与类似尺寸的固态硅探测器相结合。我们将探索不同的几何形状和灵活的硅探测器，以检测质子和潜在的3 H中子捕获反应。这些嵌入3 He的固态探测器体积小，重量轻，对中子高度敏感，功率要求低。对于某些应用，例如安全，简单地检测天然背景水平以上的中子放射源的存在就足够了。我们的目标是开发便携式系统，可以很容易地在现场使用。我们还计划将我们的嵌入式3 He箔与柔性非晶硅探测器联合收割机结合起来，这些探测器是我们之前为管道分析等具有挑战性的环境开发的。重要性：全球对便携式中子探测能力的需求正在增加。内政部最近邀请各方就在边境点部署高度移动的放射性和核搜索和探测能力提出意见。便携式中子探测器的需求预计将继续增长，用于各种用途。成功原因：3 He基探测器由于其高效率和出色的伽马/中子鉴别能力，已成为热中子探测的标准。我们已经成功地将4 He嵌入到先前项目的非晶硅箔中，实现了约10^18 /cm 2的柱密度。我们已经为一个为期一年的将3 He嵌入箔中的项目获得了新的资金。我们将利用我们熟练的员工和专业知识来优化3 He气体在转换器箔或固态探测器中的嵌入。我们将使用优化的溅射技术，我们将探索在箔或固态硅探测器上的纳米粒子捕获。这笔资金将使我们能够建立在我们的专业知识，研究纳米粒子的制造，并创建堆叠转换器箔与硅探测器，以提高固有的热中子探测效率。我们还将探索转换器箔与柔性硅探测器的耦合，并开发嵌入3 He的硅探测器。约克大学为我们提供了必要的设施，设备和专业知识，使这个原型的生活。