Development of neutron detector using the surface barrier sensor with polyethylene (n, p) and 10B (n,α) converters

A Si semiconductor detector, surface barrier type, with a slim film of a converter material, capable to produce charged particles, was used as a sensor of neutrons to be used in an environment of a zero power reactor. Two types of converters were used to improve the detection efficiency: (1) polyethylene, n(CH2), which produces recoil protons from the (n,p) interaction and, (2) 10B which generates α particles from the (n,α) reaction. The optimal thickness of these converters was determined experimentally. Specifically for the polyethylene, a mathematical model was developed to fit the experimental data. For an AmBe source the optimum polyethylene converter thickness was of 5.8×10−2 cm (62.64 mg cm−2), while for the 10B it was equal to 6.55×10−4 cm (1.54 mg cm−2). The converters of polyethylene and 10B improved the detection efficiency to a factor of 4.7 and 3.0, respectively, compared to measurements without converter. Comparing the three spectra of the background radiation, the polyethylene recoil protons and the 10B α radiation, it was concluded that the polyethylene presented better performance than the 10B converter.