Scalable large-area solid-state neutron detector with continuous p–n junction and extremely low leakage current

We report on the fabrication and characterization of solid-state thermal neutron detectors with detection areas up to 16 cm2 that require only a single preamplifier for data acquisition. These detectors consist of a honeycomb-like micro-structured Si diode with boron-10 filled deep holes. A continuous p–n junction formed over the entire surface of the microstructure helps to achieve a low leakage current density of ~6.1×10−9 A/cm2 at −1 V for a 2.5×2.5 mm2 detector. This low leakage current results in low electronic noise, which enables the fabrication of large-area detectors. An intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency of up to 26% was measured for a 2.5×2.5 mm2 detector module and up to 24% was measured for a 1 cm2 detector module. These measurements were obtained under zero bias voltage using a moderated californium-252 source. The relative efficiency remains almost the same when scaling the detector area up to 8 cm2 by connecting 1 cm2 detector modules in series. However, it decreases to 0.89 and 0.82, respectively, for 12 and 16 cm2. Nevertheless, these results demonstrate the promise of using boron filled micro-structured Si diodes as a cost effective alternative to the helium-3 based neutron detection technology and the potential of fabricating scalable large-area solid-state neutron detectors that are desirable for many applications.