Effects of surface recombination on the charge collection in h-BN neutron detectors

Lin, Jingyu; Jiang, Hongxing; Li, Jing; Maity, Avesek; Grenadier, Sam J.

doi:10.1063/1.5089138

Title: Effects of surface recombination on the charge collection in h-BN neutron detectors

Journal Article · Tue Mar 12 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5089138· OSTI ID:1502865

^[1];

^[1]; Maity, Avesek ^[1]; Grenadier, Sam J. ^[1]

Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States)

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) epilayers have been recognized as a promising material for applications in solid-state neutron detectors. However, the highest detection efficiency of 58% attained so far for 1 mm² detectors fabricated from 50 μm thick B-10 enriched h-BN films still falls short of the expected theoretical value of 64%. This is due to the less than perfect charge collection efficiency. In this work, we have fabricated and analyzed the photocurrent-voltage characteristics of 11 h-BN neutron detectors. The dependence of the charge collection efficiency (η_c) on the charge carrier mobility-lifetime (μτ) product of the bulk trapping parameter reveals that η_c is nearly perfect at a bias voltage of 200 V if we neglect the effects of surface recombination. Our results have clearly demonstrated that the surface recombination of charge carriers is the dominant factor that prevents a further enhancement in the charge collection efficiency in our current detectors. The surface recombination field E_S (=s/μ), defined as the ratio of the surface recombination velocity (s) to the carrier mobility (μ) of holes, was found to have a linear relationship with that of electrons and has a magnitude of the order of 10⁴ V/cm. The present study indicates that it is critical to reduce E_S in h-BN in order to further push the charge collection and hence the total detection efficiency of h-BN neutron detectors to 100%

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Research Organization:: Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States); Nanophotonics Center (Texas Tech University)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)

Grant/Contract Number:: AR0000964

OSTI ID:: 1502865

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1571784

Journal Information:: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 125, Issue 10; ISSN 0021-8979

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 11 works

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High sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride lateral neutron detectors Maity, A.; Grenadier, S. J.; Li, J. Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 114, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5098331	journal	June 2019
Anisotropic index of refraction and structural properties of hexagonal boron nitride epilayers probed by spectroscopic ellipsometry McKay, M. A.; Li, J.; Lin, J. Y. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 127, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5134908	journal	February 2020

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