A self-biased neutron detector based on an SiC semiconductor for a harsh environment.

Neutron detector based on radiation-hard semiconductor materials like SiC, diamond and AlN has recently emerged as an attractive device for an in-core reactor neutron flux monitoring, a spent fuel characterization, and a home land security application. For the purpose of field measurement activity, a radiation detector having a low-power consumption, a mechanical stability and a radiation hardness is required. Our research was focused on the development of a radiation-resistive neutron semiconductor detector based on a wide band-gap SiC semiconductor. And also it will be operated at a zero-biased voltage using a strong internal electric field. The charge collection efficiency (CCE) was over 80% when the biased voltage was zero. When the biased voltage was applied above 20V, the charge collection efficiency reached 100%.