Modeling detector response for neutron depth profiling

In Neutron Depth Profiling (NDP), inferences about the concentration profile of an element in a material are based on the energy spectrum of charged particles emitted due to specific nuclear reactions. The detector response function relates the depth of emission to the expected energy spectrum of the emitted particles. Here, the detector response function is modeled for arbitrary source and detector geometries based on a model for the stopping power of the material, energy straggling, multiple scattering and random detector measurement error. At the NIST Cold Neutron Research Facility, a NDP spectrum was collected for a diamond-like carbon (DLC) sample doped with boron. A vertical slit was placed in front of the detector for collimation. Based on the computed detector response function, a model for the depth profile of boron is fit to the observed NDP spectrum. The contribution of straggling to overall variability was increased by multiplying the Bohr Model prediction by a ramp factor. The adjustable parameter in the ramp was selected to give the best agreement between the fitted profile and the expected shape of the profile. The expected shape is determined from experimental process control measurements.