PFI-TT: Scalable solid state neutron and gamma detectors for diverse industrial applications

这个创新伙伴关系-技术转化项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发低成本、高性能的便携式辐射探测器，其应用范围从国土安全到医疗。有了这项技术，警察、消防队员和急救人员就有可能监测病人的情况。医务人员可以在重离子癌症治疗期间监测中子和γ射线的产生，以收集关于二次辐射长期影响的数据。在这个项目中，与技术发展同样重要的是人才的发展。该项目将支持一名研究生和一名博士后研究员，他们将在辐射探测器、核电子、原型开发和创业领域接受培训。辐射探测器及其相关电子设备的设计和使用正在迅速成为丢失的技能组合，因此该PFI项目还解决了所需领域的劳动力发展问题。该项目旨在展示基于卤化物无机钙钛矿的低成本、高计数率γ射线探测器。这些设备将与中子探测/放大方案集成，使中子和γ射线探测器能够同时进行。传统的γ射线光谱系统由探测器、闪烁体和光电倍增管或高纯度锗固态半导体探测器、前置放大器、放大器、模数转换器和多通道分析仪组成。虽然有效，但这些系统价格昂贵，缺乏坚固性和可移植性，并且不容易扩展。该PFI-TT项目的主要目标是演示和集成CsPbX3 （X=Cl, Br， I或任何组合）半导体单晶作为γ射线传感的选择材料，并使用相同的电荷放大方案在原型中结合中子和伽马射线探测，这降低了系统的总体成本，同时实现了坚固耐用和可扩展的辐射传感。伽马射线探测方法不再传统地使用钙钛矿作为闪烁体，而是使用该材料作为固态电荷和中性粒子探测中的主动传感元件。组成，电性能和设备工程是一些未知的，在程序中阐明。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to develop low cost, high performance, portable radiation detectors that have applications ranging from homeland security to medical treatment. With this technology, it may be possible for police officers, fire firefighters and first responders to monitor for the presence of Medical staff could monitor the production of neutrons and γ-rays during heavy ion cancer treatments to collect data on the long-term impact of secondary radiation. Just as important as the technology development is the talent development that will take place during this project. This project will support one graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher that will be trained in the area of radiation detectors, nuclear electronics, and prototype development and entrepreneurship. The design and use of radiation detectors and their associated electronics are quickly becoming lost skill sets, so this PFI project also addresses workforce development in needed areas. The proposed project seeks to demonstrate low cost, high count rate, γ-ray detectors based on halide inorganic perovskites. These devices will be integrated with neutron detection / amplification schemes to enable simultaneous neutron and γ-ray detectors. A traditional γ-ray spectroscopic system consists of a detector, either a scintillator and a photomultiplier tube or a high purity Ge solid state semiconductor detector, a pre-amplifier, an amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter and a multichannel analyzer. Although effective, these systems are expensive, lack ruggedness and portability, and are not easily scaled. The main goal of this PFI-TT project is to demonstrate and integrate CsPbX3 (X=Cl, Br, I or any combination) semiconductor single crystals as the material of choice for γ-ray sensing and combine neutron and gamma-ray detection in a prototype using the same charge amplification scheme, which reduces the overall cost of the system while enabling rugged and scalable radiation sensing. The gamma-ray detection approach moves away from the traditional use of perovskite as scintillators, but instead uses the materials as the active sensing element in solid-state charge and neutral particle detection. Composition, electrical properties, and device engineering are some of the unknowns to be elucidated during the program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.