Citation:
M.D. Shah, C.M. Marianno, S.P. Khatri, “The Neutron Detector Using Radiation Integrated Circuits”, Poster. 2016 IEEE Symposium on Radiation Measurements and Applications, Berkeley, CA, 22-26 May 2016.
Abstract:
With the advancement in semiconductor technology, circuits on the integrated circuit have become increasingly sensitive to radiation damage and therefore, fail to function properly. Researchers at Texas A&M University have converted this disadvantage into an advantage for radiation detection applications, by designing the RIC (Radiation Integrated Circuit). This chip is designed with 2 types of sectors: radiation-sensitive areas (RSAs) and radiation-hardened areas (RHAs). This paper addresses the use of the RIC for neutron detection. The RSAs are sensitive to charged-particle interactions, and so for neutron detection, a medium (neutron-reactive material) is required to generate charged-particles that are detected by the RSAs. To assess the performance of neutron-reactive coatings on the RICs to detect neutrons, MCNPX-based simulations were performed. The analysis focused on the optimal yield of charged-particles at the interface between the RIC and the neutron-reactive coating. Natural boron (19.9%