Latest developments in room-temperature semiconductor neutron detectors: Prospects and challenges

Semiconductor-based neutron-detectors are characterized by small size, high energy-resolution, good spatial resolution, and stable response(at the depletion voltage). Consequently, these neutron-detectors are important for the fields of nuclear proliferation prevention, oil exploration, monitoring neutron-scattering experiments, cancer treatments, and space radiation effect research. However, there are some well-known problems for conventional silicon-based neutron detectors: low neutron-detection efficiency and limited resistance to radiation. Therefore, critical improvements are needed to enable sufficiently effective and practical neutron detection. To address these problems, direct-conversion neutron detectors as well as wide bandgap semiconductor-based detectors have been developed and studied intensely during the past years. Significant progress with respect to detection efficiency, radiation resistance, and room temperature operation was achieved. This paper reviews the latest research highlights, remaining challenges, and emerging technologies of direct-conversion neutron detectors as well as wide-bandgap semiconductor neutron detectors. This compact review serves as a reference for researchers interested in the design and development of improved neutron detectors in the future.

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite scintillators for mixed field radiation detection

Sensitive and fast detection of neutrons and gamma rays is vital for homeland security,high-energy physics,and proton therapy.Fast-neutron detectors rely on light organic scintillators,andγ-ray detectors use heavy inorganic scintillators and semiconductors.Efficient mixed-field detection using a single material is highly challenging due to their contradictory requirements.Here we report hybrid perovskites(C_(8)H_(12)N)_(2)Pb(Br_(0.95)Cl_(0.05))_(4)that combine light organic cations and heavy inorganic skeletons at a molecular level to achieve unprecedented performance for mixed-field radiation detection.High neutron absorption due to a high density of hydrogen,strong radiative recombination within the highly confined[PbX_(6)]^(4-)layer,and sub-nanometer distance between absorption sites and radiative centers,enable a light yield of 41000 photons/MeV,detection pulse width of 2.97 ns and extraordinary linearity response toward both fast neutrons andγ-rays,outperforming commonly used fast-neutron scintillators.Neutron energy spectrum,time-of-flight based fast-neutron/γ-ray discrimination and neutron yield monitoring were all successfully achieved using(C_(8)H_(12)N)_(2)Pb(Br_(0.95)Cl_(0.05))_(4)detectors.We further demonstrate the monitoring of reaction kinetics and total power of a nuclear fusion reaction.We envision that molecular hybridized scintillators open a new avenue for mixed-field radiation detection and imaging.