Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Realization of highly efficient hexagonal boron nitride neutron detectors

Abstract

Here, we report the achievement of highly efficient 10B enriched hexagonal boron nitride (h- 10BN) direct conversion neutron detectors. These detectors were realized from freestanding 4-in. diameter h- 10BN wafers 43 μm in thickness obtained from epitaxy growth and subsequent mechanical separation from sapphire substrates. Both sides of the film were subjected to ohmic contact deposition to form a simple vertical “photoconductor-type” detector. Transport measurements revealed excellent vertical transport properties including high electrical resistivity (>1013 Ω cm) and mobility-lifetime (μτ) products. A much larger μτ product for holes compared to that of electrons along the c-axis of h- BN was observed, implying that holes (electrons) behave like majority (minority) carriers in undoped h- BN. Exposure to thermal neutrons from a californium-252 (252Cf) source moderated by a high density polyethylene moderator reveals that 43 μm h- 10BN detectors possess 51.4% detection efficiency at a bias voltage of 400 V, which is the highest reported efficiency for any semiconductor-based neutron detector. The results point to the possibility of obtaining highly efficient, compact solid-state neutron detectors with high gamma rejection and low manufacturing and maintenance costs.

Authors:
 [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); National Science Foundation (NSF); US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
OSTI Identifier:
1330680
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1295951
Grant/Contract Number:  
NA0002927; 2011-DN- 077-ARI048; ECCS-1402886
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Applied Physics Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 109; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; wide bandgap semiconductors; solid-state neutron detector materials; direct conversion neutron detectors; He-3 gap replacement detectors; III-V semiconductors; neutrons; electrons; transport properties; electrical resistivity

Citation Formats

Maity, A., Doan, T. C., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., and Jiang, H. X. Realization of highly efficient hexagonal boron nitride neutron detectors. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4960522.
Copy to clipboard
Maity, A., Doan, T. C., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., & Jiang, H. X. Realization of highly efficient hexagonal boron nitride neutron detectors. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4960522
Copy to clipboard
Maity, A., Doan, T. C., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., and Jiang, H. X. Tue . "Realization of highly efficient hexagonal boron nitride neutron detectors". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4960522. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1330680.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1330680,
title = {Realization of highly efficient hexagonal boron nitride neutron detectors},
author = {Maity, A. and Doan, T. C. and Li, J. and Lin, J. Y. and Jiang, H. X.},
abstractNote = {Here, we report the achievement of highly efficient 10B enriched hexagonal boron nitride (h- 10BN) direct conversion neutron detectors. These detectors were realized from freestanding 4-in. diameter h- 10BN wafers 43 μm in thickness obtained from epitaxy growth and subsequent mechanical separation from sapphire substrates. Both sides of the film were subjected to ohmic contact deposition to form a simple vertical “photoconductor-type” detector. Transport measurements revealed excellent vertical transport properties including high electrical resistivity (>1013 Ω cm) and mobility-lifetime (μτ) products. A much larger μτ product for holes compared to that of electrons along the c-axis of h- BN was observed, implying that holes (electrons) behave like majority (minority) carriers in undoped h- BN. Exposure to thermal neutrons from a californium-252 (252Cf) source moderated by a high density polyethylene moderator reveals that 43 μm h- 10BN detectors possess 51.4% detection efficiency at a bias voltage of 400 V, which is the highest reported efficiency for any semiconductor-based neutron detector. The results point to the possibility of obtaining highly efficient, compact solid-state neutron detectors with high gamma rejection and low manufacturing and maintenance costs.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4960522},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
number = 7,
volume = 109,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Aug 16 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Tue Aug 16 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4960522
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 65 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Improved High Efficiency Stacked Microstructured Neutron Detectors Backfilled With Nanoparticle $^{6}$LiF
journal, February 2012

  • Bellinger, S. L.; Fronk, R. G.; McNeil, W. J.
  • IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. 59, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1109/TNS.2011.2175749

Direct-bandgap properties and evidence for ultraviolet lasing of hexagonal boron nitride single crystal
journal, May 2004

  • Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Kanda, Hisao
  • Nature Materials, Vol. 3, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1038/nmat1134

The physics of solid-state neutron detector materials and geometries
journal, October 2010

Characterization and Field Emission of Sulfur-Doped Boron Nitride Synthesized by Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition
journal, April 1997

  • Sugino, Takashi; Tanioka, Kazuhiko; Kawasaki, Seiji
  • Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 36, Issue Part 2, No. 4B
  • DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.36.L463

High aspect ratio composite structures with 48.5% thermal neutron detection efficiency
journal, February 2013

  • Shao, Q.; Voss, L. F.; Conway, A. M.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 102, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4792703

A Handheld Neutron-Detection Sensor System Utilizing a New Class of Boron Carbide Diode
journal, January 2006

Scalable large-area solid-state neutron detector with continuous p–n junction and extremely low leakage current
journal, November 2014

  • Huang, Kuan-Chih; Dahal, Rajendra; Lu, James J.-Q.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 763, p. 260-265
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.047

Hexagonal boron nitride thin film thermal neutron detectors with high energy resolution of the reaction products
journal, May 2015

  • Doan, T. C.; Majety, S.; Grenadier, S.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 783
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2015.02.045

Condensed-Matter Simulation of a Three-Dimensional Anomaly
journal, December 1984

Jahn-Teller effect on exciton states in hexagonal boron nitride single crystal
journal, May 2009

Fabrication and characterization of solid-state thermal neutron detectors based on hexagonal boron nitride epilayers
journal, June 2014

  • Doan, T. C.; Majety, S.; Grenadier, S.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 748
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2014.02.031

Deep Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Hexagonal Boron Nitride Synthesized at Atmospheric Pressure
journal, August 2007

High-field effects in photoconducting cadmium sulphide
journal, March 1965

Charge carrier transport properties in layer structured hexagonal boron nitride
journal, October 2014

  • Doan, T. C.; Li, J.; Lin, J. Y.
  • AIP Advances, Vol. 4, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4898630

Two-dimensional excitons in three-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride
journal, November 2013

  • Cao, X. K.; Clubine, B.; Edgar, J. H.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 19
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4829026

Far-ultraviolet plane-emission handheld device based on hexagonal boron nitride
journal, September 2009

  • Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Niiyama, Takahiro
  • Nature Photonics, Vol. 3, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2009.167

Dielectric strength, optical absorption, and deep ultraviolet detectors of hexagonal boron nitride epilayers
journal, October 2012

  • Li, J.; Majety, S.; Dahal, R.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 101, Issue 17
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4764533

Epitaxially grown semiconducting hexagonal boron nitride as a deep ultraviolet photonic material
journal, May 2011

  • Dahal, R.; Li, J.; Majety, S.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 98, Issue 21
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.3593958

Thermal neutron detection with pyrolytic boron nitride
journal, July 2008

  • McGregor, D. S.; Unruh, T. C.; McNeil, W. J.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 591, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2008.03.002

Hexagonal boron nitride epitaxial layers as neutron detector materials
journal, October 2011

  • Li, J.; Dahal, R.; Majety, S.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 654, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2011.07.040

Self-powered micro-structured solid state neutron detector with very low leakage current and high efficiency
journal, June 2012

  • Dahal, R.; Huang, K. C.; Clinton, J.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 24, 243507
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4729558

Epitaxial growth and demonstration of hexagonal BN/AlGaN p-n junctions for deep ultraviolet photonics
journal, February 2012

  • Majety, S.; Li, J.; Cao, X. K.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.3682523

The origins of near band-edge transitions in hexagonal boron nitride epilayers
journal, February 2016

  • Du, X. Z.; Li, J.; Lin, J. Y.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 108, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4941540

Deep Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Hexagonal Boron Nitride Synthesized at Atmospheric Pressure.
journal, November 2007

    Sort by:
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Works referencing / citing this record:

    A SERS method for thermal neutron detection
    journal, March 2018

    • Sun, Jie; Wang, Kaikai; Han, Shuyan
    • Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, Vol. 49, Issue 7
    • DOI: 10.1002/jrs.5368

    Two-dimensional light-emitting materials: preparation, properties and applications
    journal, January 2018

    • Wang, Zhiwei; Jingjing, Qiu; Wang, Xiaoshan
    • Chemical Society Reviews, Vol. 47, Issue 16
    • DOI: 10.1039/c8cs00332g

    Solid-state neutron detectors based on thickness scalable hexagonal boron nitride
    journal, January 2017

    • Ahmed, K.; Dahal, R.; Weltz, A.
    • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 110, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.4973927

    Toward achieving flexible and high sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride neutron detectors
    journal, July 2017

    • Maity, A.; Grenadier, S. J.; Li, J.
    • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 111, Issue 3
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.4995399

    Hexagonal boron nitride neutron detectors with high detection efficiencies
    journal, January 2018

    • Maity, A.; Grenadier, S. J.; Li, J.
    • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 123, Issue 4
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5017979

    Origin and roles of oxygen impurities in hexagonal boron nitride epilayers
    journal, April 2018

    • Grenadier, S. J.; Maity, A.; Li, J.
    • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 112, Issue 16
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5026291

    Effects of surface recombination on the charge collection in h-BN neutron detectors
    journal, March 2019

    • Maity, A.; Grenadier, S. J.; Li, J.
    • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 125, Issue 10
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5089138

    Lateral charge carrier transport properties of B-10 enriched hexagonal BN thick epilayers
    journal, August 2019

    • Grenadier, S.; Maity, A.; Li, J.
    • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 115, Issue 7
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5097984

    High sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride lateral neutron detectors
    journal, June 2019

    • Maity, A.; Grenadier, S. J.; Li, J.
    • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 114, Issue 22
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5098331

    Critical thickness of hexagonal GaBN/BN heterostructures
    journal, May 2019

    • Wang, Q. W.; Li, J.; Lin, J. Y.
    • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 125, Issue 20
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5098796

    Synergy effect of alpha particles by using natural boron in proton therapy: Computational verification
    journal, November 2019

    • Kim, Moo-Sub; Wai-Ming Law, Martin; Djeng, Shih-Kien
    • AIP Advances, Vol. 9, Issue 11
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5124322

    Anisotropic index of refraction and structural properties of hexagonal boron nitride epilayers probed by spectroscopic ellipsometry
    journal, February 2020

    • McKay, M. A.; Li, J.; Lin, J. Y.
    • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 127, Issue 5
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5134908

    Review—Hexagonal Boron Nitride Epilayers: Growth, Optical Properties and Device Applications
    journal, September 2016

    • Jiang, H. X.; Lin, J. Y.
    • ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology, Vol. 6, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1149/2.0031702jss
      Sort by:
      [ × clear filter / sort ]

      Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: