Direct comparison between solid state Silicon+6LiF and 3He gas tube neutron detectors

Abstract

During the last decade the worldwide lack of 3He for neutron detection has triggered research and development on alternative technologies and methods. One of the promising techniques consists of assembling sandwiches of fully depleted double sided Silicon detectors between thin layers of 6LiF neutron converter material. In this paper we show the very promising result of a comparative test of such a detector with respect to an elliptical section 3He filled proportional counter for application at spallation neutron source facilities. Keywords: Neutron detector, Lithium fluoride, 3He