Research Projects

Slow neutrons are detected through their secondary charged particles, which interact with fissile material. Current neutron detection technologies primarily use proportional detectors with ³He gas and light scintillators for thermalized neutrons. Semiconductors may be the preferred material for the next generation of neutron detectors due to their inherent advantages. Semiconductor detectors consist of a neutron-reactive fissile material thin film on top of semiconductor-based diodes. These detectors have excellent spatial and energy resolution and rapid detection speed, but they are not suitable for high-radiation environments due to high leakage current and limited radiation hardness. Perforated Silicon-based detectors derived from deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) have been implemented to improve neutron detection efficiency. However, these detectors have issues such as high leakage current and durability in severe radiation environments. The proposed research uses 4H-SiC material to overcome these issues, offering wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity, and high displacement threshold. The research aims to develop a compact model for a 4H-SiC microstructure semiconductor neutron detector (MSND) with high detection efficiency and minimal leakage current. The proposed device's radiation resistance and low leakage current make it suitable for harsh radiation environments, such as monitoring nuclear reactor cores. Global research efforts have primarily focused on silicon-based device fabrication and fissile material backfilling techniques for MSND. This research focuses on designing and modeling the 4H-SiC-based MSND and comparative analysis of the Si-based MSND.