Silicon dosimetry diode: neutron monitoring

A neutron dosimeter is a semiconductor junction device based on the degradation of the electrical properties caused by radiation damage introduced due to neutron radiations. Radiation detectors for monitoring the integrated dose of fast neutrons in radiation levels of 50 CGY to 1200 CGY and their applications in personnel dosimetry, biological dosimetry, cosmetry, and in nuclear power environments are discussed. A simplified analytical design method for a dosimeter based on existing p-n junction models is presented. The influence of resistivity, thickness of bulk silicon, and minority-carrier lifetime on the sensitivity of the silicon dosimeter is studied and compared with experimental results obtained from the developed neutron dosimeter. The neutron sensitivity is found to depend not only on thickness of base region and minority-carrier lifetime but also doping impurity.<>