SBIR Phase I: Novel Solid-State Cerenkov Detector for Portable and Wearable Neutron Radiation Sensors

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是将一种颠覆性的中子探测器技术推向市场，填补了对实时、便携式和可穿戴辐射探测器的迫切需求。这项创新技术的成功商业化将为核探测和核查工业的广泛客户群提供服务。这包括核电工业工人、国家实验室工作人员和国土安全人员，他们都需要检测中子发射放射性物质的存在，并实时评估健康物理风险。这个价值数十亿美元的市场目前由伽马射线和x射线检测设备提供良好的服务，但可穿戴中子剂量计和探测器的能力目前还不太发达。拟议的技术弥补了这一差距，从而在一系列目标市场中开辟了新的商业机会：除了支持美国的技术领先地位和更安全的低碳核能发电之外，该项目还将探索用于中子成像和门户探测器的新型定向阵列，帮助使国家边境更加安全，防止非法核材料，并为核保障和核查提供改进的工具。这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将评估一种新型紧凑型、可穿戴式、完全基于固态技术的中子探测器/剂量计的可行性。研究目标包括对探测器前端材料对中子辐射的响应进行彻底的定量评估，评估其光电特性和伽马判别。这将是同类探测器中的第一个，具有便携性、低成本、实时信号能力和与半导体微器件技术的完全集成。这种新颖的设备概念结合了定向光学转换器（中子到二次电子到光）和最先进的光电检测，提供与无线报告协议和互联网集成兼容的数字输出。因此，所提出的设备可以重新配置，用于许多辐射探测任务，目前使用传统气体比例和闪烁体探测器技术的更大、更笨重的设备是不可行的。预期的结果是一种新的破坏性中子探测方法。将在中子探测科学的前沿进行的研究包括对中子捕获过程的全面评估，并旨在首次更好地了解高纯度光学介质中高密度大捕获截面原子核的辐射响应。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to bring a disruptive neutron detector technology to market, filling an urgent need for real-time, portable and wearable radiation detectors. Successful commercialization of this innovative technology will serve a broad customer base in the nuclear detection and verification industry. This includes nuclear power industry workers, national lab staff, and homeland security personnel, all of whom need to detect the presence of neutron-emitting radioactive materials and assess the health physics risks in real time. This multi-billion dollar market is currently well served with gamma ray and x-ray detection devices, but the capabilities for wearable neutron dosimeters and detectors are currently less well developed. The proposed technology closes this gap and thus addresses new commercial opportunities across a targeted array of markets: in addition to supporting U.S. technology leadership and safer low-carbon nuclear energy generation, this project will explore new kinds of directional arrays for neutron imaging and portal detectors, helping to make the nation's borders more secure against illicit nuclear materials and providing improved tools for nuclear safeguards and verification.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will evaluate the feasibility of a novel compact, wearable neutron detector/dosimeter based solely on solid-state technology. Research objectives include a thorough quantitative assessment of the detector front-end material response to neutron radiation, evaluation of its optoelectronic characteristics, and gamma discrimination. This will be the first detector of its kind, enabling portability, low cost, real time signal capability and complete integration with semiconductor microdevice technology. The novel device concept combines a directional optical converter (neutrons to secondary electrons to light) with state-of-the-art optoelectronic detection to provide a digital output which is compatible with wireless reporting protocols and internet integration. The proposed device can therefore be reconfigured for many radiation detection tasks that are currently not feasible with larger, bulky devices using conventional gas proportional and scintillator detector technology. The anticipated result is a novel disruptive neutron detection approach. The research to be performed at the forefront of neutron detection science includes a thorough evaluation of the neutron-capture process, and aims for the first time to better understand the radiation response of a high density of large capture cross-section nuclei in a high-purity optical medium.