High-speed performance self-powered short wave ultraviolet radiation detectors based onκ(ε)-Ga_(2)O_(3)

High-speed solar-blind short wavelength ultraviolet radiation detectors based onκ(ε)-Ga_(2)O_(3)layers with Pt contacts were demonstrated and their properties were studied in detail.Theκ(ε)-Ga_(2)O_(3)layers were deposited by the halide vapor phase epitaxy on patterned GaN templates with sapphire substrates.The spectral dependencies of the photoelectric properties of struc-tures were analyzed in the wavelength interval 200-370 nm.The maximum photo to dark current ratio,responsivity,detectiv-ity and external quantum efficiency of structures were determined as:180.86 arb.un.,3.57 A/W,1.78×10^(12) Hz^(0.5)∙cm·W^(-1) and 2193.6%,respectively,at a wavelength of 200 nm and an applied voltage of 1 V.The enhancement of the photoresponse was caused by the decrease in the Schottky barrier at the Pt/κ(ε)-Ga_(2)O_(3)interface under ultraviolet exposure.The detectors demon-strated could functionalize in self-powered mode due to built-in electric field at the Pt/κ(ε)-Ga_(2)O_(3)interface.The responsivity and external quantum efficiency of the structures at a wavelength of 254 nm and zero applied voltage were 0.9 mA/W and 0.46%,respectively.The rise and decay times in self-powered mode did not exceed 100 ms.

Development of an enhanced online tritium monitoring system using plastic scintillation fiber array

Tritium,a radioactive nuclide discharged by nuclear power plants,poses challenges for removal.Continuous online monitoring of tritium in water is crucial for real-time radiation data,given its predominant existence in the environment as water.This paper presents the design,simulation,and development of a tritium monitoring device utilizing a plastic scintillation fiber(PSF)array.Experimental validation confirmed the device’s detection efficiency and minimum detectable activity.The recorded detection efficiency of the device is 1.6×10^(-3),which exceeds the theoretically simulated value of 4×10^(-4)by four times.Without shielding,the device can achieve a minimum detectable activity of 3165 Bq L^(-1)over a 1600-second measurement duration.According to simulation and experimental results,enhancing detection efficiency is possible by increasing the number and length of PSFs and implementing rigorous shielding measures.Additionally,reducing the diameter of PSFs can also improve detection efficiency.The minimum detectable activity of the device can be further reduced using the aforementioned methods.

FPGA implementation of 500-MHz high-count-rate high-time-resolution real-time digital neutron-gamma discrimination for fast liquid detectors

Fast neutron flux measurements with high count rates and high time resolution have important applications in equipment such as tokamaks.In this study,real-time neutron and gamma discrimination was implemented on a self-developed 500-Msps,12-bit digitizer,and the neutron and gamma spectra were calculated directly on an FPGA.A fast neutron flux measurement system with BC-501A and EJ-309 liquid scintillator detectors was developed and a fast neutron measurement experiment was successfully performed on the HL-2 M tokamak at the Southwestern Institute of Physics,China.The experimental results demonstrated that the system obtained the neutron and gamma spectra with a time accuracy of 1 ms.At count rates of up to 1 Mcps,the figure of merit was greater than 1.05 for energies between 50 keV and 2.8 MeV.

Low-noise and low-power pixel sensor chip for gas pixel detectors

Topmetal-M2 is a large-area pixel sensor chip fabricated using the GSMC 130 nm CMOS process in 2021.The pixel array of Topmetal-M2 consists of pixels of 400 rows×512 columns with a pixel pitch of 45μm×45μm.The array is divided into 16 subarrays,with pixels of 400 rows×32 columns per subarray.Each pixel incorporates two charge sensors:a diode sensor and a Topmetal sensor.The in-pixel circuit primarily consists of a charge-sensitive amplifier for energy measurements,a discriminator with a peak-holding circuit,and a time-to-amplitude converter for time-of-arrival measurements.The pixel of Topmetal-M2 has a charge input range of~0-3 k e-,a voltage output range of~0-180 mV,and a charge-voltage conversion gain of~59.56μV∕e-.The average equivalent noise charge of Topmetal-M2,which includes the readout electronic system noise,is~43.45 e-.In the scanning mode,the time resolution of Topmetal-M2 is 1 LSB=1.25μs,and the precision is^()7.41μs.At an operating voltage of 1.5 V,Topmetal-M2 has a power consumption of~49 mW∕cm~2.In this article,we provide a comprehensive overview of the chip architecture,pixel working principles,and functional behavior of Topmetal-M2.Furthermore,we present the results of preliminary tests conducted on Topmetal-M2,namely,alpha-particle and soft X-ray tests.

Flexibility potential of Cs_(2)BX_(6)(B=Hf,Sn,Pt,Zr,Ti;X=I,Br,Cl)with application in photovoltaic devices and radiation detectors

As interest in double perovskites is growing,especially in applications like photovoltaic devices,understanding their mechanical properties is vital for device durability.Despite extensive exploration of structure and optical properties,research on mechanical aspects is limited.This article builds a vacancyordered double perovskite model,employing first-principles calculations to analyze mechanical,bonding,electronic,and optical properties.Results show Cs_(2)Hfl_(6),Cs_(2)SnBr_(6),Cs_(2)SnI_(6),and Cs_(2)PtBr_(6)have Young's moduli below 13 GPa,indicating flexibility.Geometric parameters explain flexibility variations with the changes of B and X site composition.Bonding characteristic exploration reveals the influence of B and X site electronegativity on mechanical strength.Cs_(2)SnBr_(6)and Cs_(2)PtBr_(6)are suitable for solar cells,while Cs_(2)HfI_(6)and Cs_(2)TiCl_(6)show potential for semi-transparent solar cells.Optical property calculations highlight the high light absorption coefficients of up to 3.5×10^(5) cm^(-1)for Cs_(2)HfI_(6)and Cs_(2)TiCl_(6).Solar cell simulation shows Cs_(2)PtBr_(6)achieves 22.4%of conversion effciency.Cs_(2)ZrCl_(6)holds promise for ionizing radiation detection with its 3.68 eV bandgap and high absorption coefficient.Vacancy-ordered double perovskites offer superior flexibility,providing valuable insights for designing stable and flexible devices.This understanding enhances the development of functional devices based on these perovskites,especially for applications requiring high stability and flexibility.

Self-powered UVC detectors based on α-Ga_(2)O_(3) with enchanted speed performance

Detectors were developed for detecting irradiation in the short-wavelength ultraviolet(UVC)interval using high-quality single-crystallineα-Ga_(2)O_(3) films with Pt interdigital contacts.The films ofα-Ga_(2)O_(3) were grown on planar sapphire substrates with c-plane orientation using halide vapor phase epitaxy.The spectral dependencies of the photo to dark current ratio,responsivity,external quantum efficiency and detectivity of the structures were investigated in the wavelength interval of 200−370 nm.The maximum of photo to dark current ratio,responsivity,external quantum efficiency,and detectivity of the structures were 1.16×10^(4) arb.un.,30.6 A/W,1.65×10^(4)%,and 6.95×10^(15) Hz^(0.5)·cm/W at a wavelength of 230 nm and an applied voltage of 1 V.The high values of photoelectric properties were due to the internal enhancement of the photoresponse associated with strong hole trapping.Theα-Ga_(2)O_(3) film-based UVC detectors can function in self-powered operation mode due to the built-in electric field at the Pt/α-Ga_(2)O_(3) interfaces.At a wavelength of 254 nm and zero applied voltage,the structures exhibit a responsivity of 0.13 mA/W and an external quantum efficiency of 6.2×10^(−2)%.The UVC detectors based on theα-Ga_(2)O_(3) films demonstrate high-speed performance with a rise time of 18 ms in self-powered mode.

Structural design of mid-infrared waveguide detectors based on InAs/GaAsSb superlattice

In the realm of near-infrared spectroscopy,the detection of molecules has been achieved using on-chip waveguides and resonators.In the mid-infrared band,the integration and sensitivity of chemical sensing chips are often constrained by the reliance on off-chip light sources and detectors.In this study,we demonstrate an InAs/GaAsSb superlattice mid-infrared waveguide integrated detector.The GaAsSb waveguide layer and the InAs/GaAsSb superlattice absorbing layer are connected through evanescent coupling,facilitating efficient and highquality detection of mid-infrared light with minimal loss.We conducted a simulation to analyze the photoelectric characteristics of the device.Additionally,we investigated the factors that affect the integration of the InAs/GaAs⁃Sb superlattice photodetector and the GaAsSb waveguide.Optimal thicknesses and lengths for the absorption lay⁃er are determined.When the absorption layer has a thickness of 0.3μm and a length of 50μm,the noise equiva⁃lent power reaches its minimum value,and the quantum efficiency can achieve a value of 68.9%.The utilization of waveguide detectors constructed with Ⅲ-Ⅴ materials offers a more convenient means of integrating mid-infra⁃red light sources and achieving photoelectric detection chips.

Effect of multiple coulomb scattering on the beam tests of silicon pixel detectors

In the research and development of new silicon pixel detectors,a collimated monoenergetic charged-particle test beam equipped with a high-resolution pixel-beam telescope is crucial for prototype verification and performance evaluation.When the beam energy is low,the effect of multiple Coulomb scattering on the measured resolution of the Device Under Test(DUT)must be considered to accurately evaluate the performance of the pixel chips and detectors.This study aimed to investigate the effect of multiple Coulomb scattering on the measured resolution,particularly at low beam energies.Simulations were conducted using Allpix^(2) to study the effects of multiple Coulomb scattering under different beam energies,material budgets,and telescope layouts.The simulations also provided the minimum energy at which the effect of multiple Coulomb scattering could be ignored.Compared with the results of a five-layer detector system tested with an electron beam at DESY,the simulation results were consistent with the beam test results,confirming the reliability of the simulations.

Countermeasure against blinding attack for single-photon detectors in quantum key distribution

Quantum key distribution(QKD),rooted in quantum mechanics,offers information-theoretic security.However,practi-cal systems open security threats due to imperfections,notably bright-light blinding attacks targeting single-photon detectors.Here,we propose a concise,robust defense strategy for protecting single-photon detectors in QKD systems against blinding attacks.Our strategy uses a dual approach:detecting the bias current of the avalanche photodiode(APD)to defend against con-tinuous-wave blinding attacks,and monitoring the avalanche amplitude to protect against pulsed blinding attacks.By integrat-ing these two branches,the proposed solution effectively identifies and mitigates a wide range of bright light injection attempts,significantly enhancing the resilience of QKD systems against various bright-light blinding attacks.This method forti-fies the safeguards of quantum communications and offers a crucial contribution to the field of quantum information security.

Metal-Halide Perovskite Submicrometer-Thick Films for Ultra-Stable Self-Powered Direct X-Ray Detectors

Metal-halide perovskites are revolutionizing the world of X-ray detectors,due to the development of sensitive,fast,and cost-effective devices.Self-powered operation,ensuring portability and low power consumption,has also been recently demonstrated in both bulk materials and thin films.However,the signal stability and repeatability under continuous X-ray exposure has only been tested up to a few hours,often reporting degradation of the detection performance.Here it is shown that self-powered direct X-ray detectors,fabricated starting from a FAPbBr_(3)submicrometer-thick film deposition onto a mesoporous TiO_(2)scaffold,can withstand a 26-day uninterrupted X-ray exposure with negligible signal loss,demonstrating ultra-high operational stability and excellent repeatability.No structural modification is observed after irradiation with a total ionizing dose of almost 200 Gy,revealing an unexpectedly high radiation hardness for a metal-halide perovskite thin film.In addition,trap-assisted photoconductive gain enabled the device to achieve a record bulk sensitivity of 7.28 C Gy^(−1)cm^(−3)at 0 V,an unprecedented value in the field of thin-film-based photoconductors and photodiodes for“hard”X-rays.Finally,prototypal validation under the X-ray beam produced by a medical linear accelerator for cancer treatment is also introduced.

In-flight Energy Calibration of the GECAM Gamma-ray Detectors

The Gravitational wave high-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor(GECAM)mission is designed to monitor the Gamma-Ray Bursts(GRBs)associated with gravitational waves and other high-energy transient sources.The mission consists of two microsatellites which are planned to operate at the opposite sides of the Earth.Each GECAM satellite could detect and localize GRBs in about 8 keV-5 MeV with its 25 Gamma-Ray Detectors(GRDs).In this work,we report the in-flight energy calibration of GRDs using the characteristic gamma-ray lines in the background spectra,and show their performance evolution during the commissioning phase.Besides,a preliminary cross-calibration of energy response with Fermi GBM data is also presented,validating the energy response of GRDs.

基于InVEST&GEO-detectors模型的会仙湿地生境质量变化及影响因素研究

喀斯特湿地是广泛分布在喀斯特地区的一种特殊的湿地类型,其生态地位举足轻重,探索喀斯特湿地生境质量变化的影响因素对喀斯特地区生态建设具有重要的意义。本文基于会仙湿地保护区2000和2020年的土地利用数据,通过InVEST模型评估会仙湿地保护区的生境质量,利用地理探测器探测影响会仙湿地保护区生境质量变化的自然和人为因素。研究结果表明:1)研究区2000至2020年建设用地明显扩张,草地和水体显著减少;2)会仙湿地保护区生境质量总体呈现下降的趋势,生境退化度有所上升,生境质量较差的区域主要集中在研究区的北部、中部和东北部;3)地理探测器识别出会仙湿地保护区生境质量空间变化受自然和人为因子的综合作用,主导影响因子是GDP(q为0.135),其次为夜间灯光指数(DMSP)(q为0.053);交互作用探测结果表明,各因子对生境质量影响呈现出双因子增强效果。研究结果有助于揭示会仙湿地保护区生境质量的时空演变过程,可针对会仙湿地生态建设的问题提出可行的应对策略。

Improve the Efficiency of Scintillation Detectors Using Reflectors Based on Photonic Crystals Arrays

In the present work, we designed the new type of photonic crystals (PCs) as reflectors. Reflections from single layer of Al2O3/MgO PC help us in recapturing the light that does escape from the scintillation surface. Photonic crystals in one dimension array of Al2O3 and MgO with silver at periodicities N = 1, 2 and 3 were used as a reflector around the surface of the scintillation volume. Scintillation detectors are widely used in nuclear medicine. The efficiency is an important parameter for characterizing the capability of the detectors. The counting efficiency of the detectors depends on the light emission induced by radiation. The light then was converted by the photomultiplier tube into electrical pulses. The efficiency may increase by an amount of 1.64% if MgO-Ag photonic crystals are used at periodicity N = 1 as a reflector.

An inversion decomposition method for better energy resolution of NaI(Tl)scintillation detectors based on a Gaussian response matrix

NaI(T1) scintillation detectors have been widely applied for gamma-ray spectrum measurements owing to advantages such as high detection efficiency and low price.However,the mitigation of the limited energy resolution of these detectors,which detracts from an accurate analysis of the instrument spectra obtained,remains a crucial need.Based on the physical properties and spectrum formation processes of NaI(T1) scintillation detectors,the detector response to gamma photons with different energies is represented by photopeaks that are approximately Gaussian in shape with unique full-width-at-half-maximum(FWHM) values.The FWHM is established as a detector parameter based on resolution calibrations and is used in the construction of a general Gaussian response matrix,which is employed for the inverse decomposition of gamma spectra obtained from the detector.The Gold and Boosted Gold iterative algorithms are employed to accelerate the decomposition of the measured spectrum.Tests of the inverse decomposition method on multiple simulated overlapping peaks and on experimentally obtained U and Th radionuclide series spectra verify the practicability of the method,particularly in the low-energy region of the spectrum,providing for the accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of radionuclides.

On proportional scintillation in very large liquid xenon detectors

The charge readout of a liquid xenon(LXe)detector via proportional scintillation in the liquid phase was first realized by the Waseda group 40 years ago,but the technical challenges involved were overwhelming.Although the tests were successful,this method was finally discarded and eventually nearly forgotten.Currently,this approach is not considered for large LXe dark matter detectors.Instead,the dual-phase technology was selected despite many limitations and challenges.In two independent studies,two groups from Columbia University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University reevaluated proportional scintillation in the liquid phase.Both studies established the merits for very large LXe detectors,but the Columbia group also encountered apparent limitations,namely the shadowing of the light by the anode wires,and a dependence of the pulse shape on the drift path of the electrons in the anode region.The differences between the two studies,however,are not intrinsic to the technique,but a direct consequence of the chosen geometry.Taking the geometrical differences into account,the results match without ambiguity.They also agree with the original results from the Waseda group.

Photon interaction with semiconductor and scintillation detectors

Mass attenuation coefficients,effective atomic numbers,and electron densities for semiconductor and scintillation detectors have been calculated in the photon energy range 1 keV-100 GeV.These interaction parameters have been found to vary with detector composition and the photon energy.The variation in the parameters with energy is shown graphically for all the partial photon interaction processes.The effective atomic numbers of the detector were compared with the ZXCOM program,and the results were found to be comparable.Efficiencies of semiconductor and scintillation detectors are presented in terms of effective atomic numbers.The study should be useful for comparing the detector performance in terms of gamma spectroscopy,radiation sensitivity,radiation measurement,and radiation damage.The results of the present investigation should stimulate research work for gamma spectroscopy and radiation measuring materials.

Data-driven simultaneous vertex and energy reconstruction for large liquid scintillator detectors

High-precision vertex and energy reconstruction are crucial for large liquid scintillator detectors such as that at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory(JUNO),especially for the determination of neutrino mass ordering by analyzing the energy spectrum of reactor neutrinos.This paper presents a data-driven method to obtain a more realistic and accurate expected PMT response of positron events in JUNO and develops a simultaneous vertex and energy reconstruction method that combines the charge and time information of PMTs.For the JUNO detector,the impact of the vertex inaccuracy on the energy resolution is approximately 0.6%.

HPGe and Scintillation Detectors Comparisons on Waste Drums Radioactivity Measurement

Two measurement systems, one being comprised of three HPGe detectors and the other being a 4π measurement system of the assembly of 10 sets of scintillation detectors, were compared for their measurement performance in operations of radioactive waste drum radioactivity measurement and clearance and release operation of decommissioning. The system features of the former were high costs, capable of identifying radionuclides, a measurement time of about 1000 sec. The system features of the latter were high sensibility, capable of identifying hotspots, a measurement time of about 100 sec. Various comparisons were made for the differences of the two systems on reference drums, whole-drum homogeneous and non-homogeneous metal drums and non-metal drums, whole-drums of different filling rates. The aim was to compare the differences of the two measurement systems in measuring radioactivity of critical radionuclides of 137Cs, 54Mn and 60Co.

Twin model-based fault detection and tolerance approach for in-core self-powered neutron detectors

The in-core self-powered neutron detector(SPND)acts as a key measuring device for the monitoring of parameters and evaluation of the operating conditions of nuclear reactors.Prompt detection and tolerance of faulty SPNDs are indispensable for reliable reactor management.To completely extract the correlated state information of SPNDs,we constructed a twin model based on a generalized regression neural network(GRNN)that represents the common relationships among overall signals.Faulty SPNDs were determined because of the functional concordance of the twin model and real monitoring sys-tems,which calculated the error probability distribution between the model outputs and real values.Fault detection follows a tolerance phase to reinforce the stability of the twin model in the case of massive failures.A weighted K-nearest neighbor model was employed to reasonably reconstruct the values of the faulty signals and guarantee data purity.The experimental evaluation of the proposed method showed promising results,with excellent output consistency and high detection accuracy for both single-and multiple-point faulty SPNDs.For unexpected excessive failures,the proposed tolerance approach can efficiently repair fault behaviors and enhance the prediction performance of the twin model.

Performance optimization of scintillator neutron detectors for EMD in CSNS

Chinese Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS) has successfully produced its first neutron beam in 28th August 2017. It has been running steadily from March, 2018. According to the construction plan, the engineering materials diffractometer(EMD) will be installed between 2019–2023. This instrument requires the neutron detectors with the cover area near3 m2in two 90° neutron diffraction angle positions, the neutron detecting efficiency is better than 40%@1A, and the spatial resolution is better than 4 mm×200 mm in horizontal and vertical directions respectively. We have developed a onedimensional position-sensitive neutron detector based on the oblique6Li F/Zn S(Ag) scintillators, wavelength shifting fibers,and Si PMs(silicon photomultipliers) readout. The inhomogeneity of the neutron detection efficiency between each pixel and each detector module, which caused by the inconsistency of the wave-length shifting fibers in collecting scintillation photons, needs to be mitigated before the installation. A performance optimization experiment of the detector modules was carried out on the BL20(beam line 20) of CSNS. Using water sample, the neutron beam with Φ5 mm exit hole was dispersed related evenly into the forward space. According to the neutron counts of each pixel of the detector module, the readout electronics threshold of each pixel is adjusted. Compared with the unadjusted detector module, the inhomogeneity of the detection efficiency for the adjusted one has been improved from 69% to 90%. The test result of the diffraction peak of the standard sample Si showed that the adjusted detector module works well.