$^{10}{\rm B}_{4}{\rm C}$ Multi-Grid as an Alternative to $^{3}{\rm He}$ for Large Area Neut

Despite its present shortage, ³He continues to be the most common neutron converter for detectors in neutron scattering science. However, it is obvious that the development of large area neutron detectors based on alternative neutron converters is rapidly becoming a matter of urgency. In the technique presented here, grids each comprising 28 ¹⁰B₄C layers (each 1 μm thick) are used to convert neutrons into ionizing particles which are subsequently detected in proportional gas counters. The total active area of the prototype is 8 cm × 200 cm. To instrument this detector 4.6 m² of ¹⁰B-enriched boron carbide were coated onto aluminium blades using a DC magnetron sputtering machine.