High sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride lateral neutron detectors
Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) thermal neutron detectors have demonstrated the highest detection efficiency among all solid-state detectors (at 58% for a detection area of 1 mm2 and 53% for a detection area of 9 mm2). However, scaling up the detector size of vertical h-BN detectors is challenging due to increased dark current, capacitance, and surface recombination with the increasing detection area. Here, we report the demonstration of a 29 mm2 thermal neutron detector fabricated from a freestanding 10B enriched h-BN epilayer of 90 μm in thickness with a detection efficiency of 50% by employing a lateral device geometry. The lateral detector geometry takes advantage of the unique layered structure of h-BN which naturally provides higher in-plane carrier mobilities than those in the vertical direction. Moreover, due to the reduced area of metals in contact with the h-BN material, the detrimental effects associated with the surface recombination at the metal contacts and device capacitance were reduced, which resulted in improved charge collection efficiency and signal to noise ratios. Furthermore, this work laid the ground work for scaling up to large size neutron detectors based on h-BN.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[1]
- Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1571783
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1524460
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AR0000964; NA0002927
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 114; Journal Issue: 22; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
Citation Formats
Maity, A., Grenadier, S. J., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., and Jiang, H. X. High sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride lateral neutron detectors. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.5098331.
Maity, A., Grenadier, S. J., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., & Jiang, H. X. High sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride lateral neutron detectors. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5098331
Maity, A., Grenadier, S. J., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., and Jiang, H. X. Mon .
"High sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride lateral neutron detectors". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5098331. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1571783.
@article{osti_1571783,
title = {High sensitivity hexagonal boron nitride lateral neutron detectors},
author = {Maity, A. and Grenadier, S. J. and Li, J. and Lin, J. Y. and Jiang, H. X.},
abstractNote = {Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) thermal neutron detectors have demonstrated the highest detection efficiency among all solid-state detectors (at 58% for a detection area of 1 mm2 and 53% for a detection area of 9 mm2). However, scaling up the detector size of vertical h-BN detectors is challenging due to increased dark current, capacitance, and surface recombination with the increasing detection area. Here, we report the demonstration of a 29 mm2 thermal neutron detector fabricated from a freestanding 10B enriched h-BN epilayer of 90 μm in thickness with a detection efficiency of 50% by employing a lateral device geometry. The lateral detector geometry takes advantage of the unique layered structure of h-BN which naturally provides higher in-plane carrier mobilities than those in the vertical direction. Moreover, due to the reduced area of metals in contact with the h-BN material, the detrimental effects associated with the surface recombination at the metal contacts and device capacitance were reduced, which resulted in improved charge collection efficiency and signal to noise ratios. Furthermore, this work laid the ground work for scaling up to large size neutron detectors based on h-BN.},
doi = {10.1063/1.5098331},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
number = 22,
volume = 114,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Mon Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
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
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