Fast-Neutron Detectors Based on Surface-Barrier GaAs Sensors with an Ultrahigh-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Converter

Аннотация

Surface-barrier structures based on high-purity epitaxial GaAs layers with an ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene converter were tested as fast-neutron detectors. The α-particle spectra and the response to fast neutrons were measured under exposure to a ²⁴¹Am−Be source. The detectors demonstrated a high neutron-detection efficiency (1.22 × 10⁻³ counts/neutron) and an acceptable ratio of the signal to γ‑ray background (approximately 40). The possibility of using such detectors at temperatures as high as 120°C was shown.