Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “RADIATION DETECTOR”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Oxygen ingress study of 3D printed gaseous radiation detector enclosures

As part of our ongoing studies into the potential application of 3D printing techniques to gaseous radiation detectors, we have studied the ability of 3D printed enclosures to resist environmental oxygen ingress. A set of cuboid and hexagonal prism shaped enclosures with wall thicknesses of 4 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm were designed and printed in nylon using a EOSINT P 730 Selective Laser Sintering 3D printer system These test enclosures provide a comparison of different environmental gas ingress for different 3D printing techniques. The rate of change of oxygen concentration was found to be linear, decreasing as the wall thickness increases. It was also found that the hexagonal prism geometry produced a lower rate of change of oxygen concentration compared with the cuboid shaped enclosures. Possible reasons as to why these results were obtained are discussed The implications for the this study for deployable systems are also discussed (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Room temperature aluminum antimonide radiation detector and methods thereof

In one embodiment, a method for producing a high-purity single crystal of aluminum antimonide (AlSb) includes providing a growing environment with which to grow a crystal, growing a single crystal of AlSb in the growing environment which comprises hydrogen (H.sub.2) gas to reduce oxide formation and subsequent incorporation of oxygen impurities in the crystal, and adding a controlled amount of at least one impurity to the growing environment to effectively incorporate at least one dopant into the crystal. In another embodiment, a high energy radiation detector includes a single high-purity crystal of AlSb, a supporting structure for the crystal, and logic for interpreting signals obtained from the crystal which is operable as a radiation detector at a temperature of about 25.degree. C. In one embodiment, a high-purity single crystal of AlSb includes AlSb and at least one dopant selected from a group consisting of selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), and tin (Sn).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1965

Radiation-detector optical-imaging device is of simplified construction

A simplified radiation detector was designed which employs an activated continuous front surface consisting of either the diffused or barrier type of semiconducting material with a grid structure on the nonactivated side of the detector. Its form may be either a rectangular coordinate or a polar coordinate system.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2018

Active microphonic noise cancellation in radiation detectors

A new adaptive filtering technique to reduce microphonic noise in radiation detectors is presented. The technique is based on system identification that actively cancels the microphonic noise. A sensor is used to measures mechanical disturbances that cause vibration on the detector assembly, and the digital adaptive filtering estimates the impact of these disturbances on the microphonic noise. The noise then can be subtracted from the actual detector measurement. In this paper the technique is presented and simulations are used to support this approach.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Research and Development Related to the Commercialization of Perovskite Radiation Detectors (CRADA Final Report)

This work will focus on the development of perovskite radiation detectors fabricated with nanocrystal, thick polycrystalline films, or single crystal materials. This will harness NREL’s instrumentation and expertise in a variety of research areas including but not limited to metal halide perovskites, device characterization, device packaging, accelerated lifetime testing, and ink chemistry development.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Nano structural anodes for radiation detectors

Anodes for proportional radiation counters and a process of making the anodes is provided. The nano-sized anodes when present within an anode array provide: significantly higher detection efficiencies due to the inherently higher electric field, are amenable to miniaturization, have low power requirements, and exhibit a small electromagnetic field signal. The nano-sized anodes with the incorporation of neutron absorbing elements (e.g., .sup.10B) allow the use of neutron detectors that do not use .sup.3He.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

Monte Carlo simulation for the electron cascade due to gamma rays in semiconductor radiation detectors

A Monte Carlo code was developed for simulating the electron cascade in radiation detector materials. The electron differential scattering cross sections were derived from measured electron energy-loss and optical spectra, making the method applicable for a wide range of materials. The detector resolution in a simplified model system shows dependence on the bandgap, the plasmon strength and energy, and the valence band width. In principle, these parameters could be optimized to improve detector performance. The intrinsic energy resolution was calculated for three semiconductors: silicon (Si), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and zinc telluride (ZnTe). Setting the ionization thresholds for electrons and holes is identified as a critical issue, as this strongly affects both the average electron-hole pair energy w and the Fano factor F. Using an ionization threshold from impact ionization calculations as an effective bandgap yields pair energies that are well matched to measured values. Fano factors of 0.091 (Si), 0.100 (GaAs), and 0.075 (ZnTe) were calculated. The Fano factor calculated for silicon using this model was lower than some results from past simulations and experiments. This difference could be attributed to problems in simulating inter-band transitions and the scattering of low-energy electrons.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Hybrid anode for semiconductor radiation detectors

The present invention relates to a novel hybrid anode configuration for a radiation detector that effectively reduces the edge effect of surface defects on the internal electric field in compound semiconductor detectors by focusing the internal electric field of the detector and redirecting drifting carriers away from the side surfaces of the semiconductor toward the collection electrode(s).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Compact radiation detector

Apparatus for detecting radiation includes a sensor medium disposed within a cavity in a silicon-based substrate. An electrode arrangement is provided for collecting charge generated within the sensor medium by interactions with impinging radiation and drifted through the sensor medium. The electrode arrangement is constituted, in part, by a silicon portion of the substrate that is doped to increase its electrical conductivity and that defines part of the cavity wall.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

X-ray photoemission analysis of chemically modified TlBr surfaces for improved radiation detectors

We subjected device-grade TlBr to various chemical treatments used in room temperature radiation detector fabrication to determine the resulting surface composition and electronic structure. As-polished TlBr was treated separately with HCl, SOCl 2 , Br:MeOH and HF solutions. High-resolution photoemission measurements on the valence band electronic structure and Tl 4f, Br 3d, Cl 2p and S 2p core lines were used to evaluate surface chemistry and shallow heterojunction formation. Surface chemistry and valence band electronic structure were correlated with the goal of optimizing the long-term stability and radiation response.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Response measurement of single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamond radiation detector for intense X-rays aiming at neutron bang-time and neutron burn-history measurement on an inertial confinement fusion with fast ignition

A neutron bang time and burn history monitor in inertial confinement fusion with fast ignition are necessary for plasma diagnostics. In the FIREX project, however, no detector attained those capabilities because high-intensity X-rays accompanied fast electrons used for plasma heating. To solve this problem, single-crystal CVD diamond was grown and fabricated into a radiation detector. The detector, which had excellent charge transportation property, was tested to obtain a response function for intense X-rays. The applicability for neutron bang time and burn history monitor was verified experimentally. Charge collection efficiency of 99.5% ± 0.8% and 97.1% ± 1.4% for holes and electrons were obtained using 5.486 MeV alpha particles. The drift velocity at electric field which saturates charge collection efficiency was 1.1 ± 0.4 × 10{sup 7} cm/s and 1.0 ± 0.3 × 10{sup 7} cm/s for holes and electrons. Fast response of several ns pulse width for intense X-ray was obtained at the GEKKO XII experiment, which is sufficiently fast for ToF measurements to obtain a neutron signal separately from X-rays. Based on these results, we confirmed that the single-crystal CVD diamond detector obtained neutron signal with good S/N under ion temperature 0.5–1 keV and neutron yield of more than 10{sup 9} neutrons/shot.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

Streamlined Monte Carlo simulation of environmental gamma-ray backgrounds for radiation detector sensitivity comparisons

In a recent effort to compare the detection sensitivity of a variety of gamma radiation detectors applied to in-situ and lightly shielded field laboratory scenarios, the authors found that a lack of “apples-to-apples” background measurements with the different detectors presented significant challenges in the detection sensitivity calculations. To overcome this hurdle, Monte Carlo modeling of the terrestrial environmental gamma radiation and experimental measurements were undertaken. Inspired by the work of Vojtyla to reduce the computing burden of modeling bremsstrahlung emitted from the surface of lead, a related approach was taken to define a gamma-ray surface source that would adequately represent the emission of natural gamma-rays from the earth’s surface. This work will present the definition of a surface source that is based on the potassium, uranium, and thorium content of a local soil, and provide a comparison to experimental in-situ gamma measurements.

Keillor, Martin E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tunnel oxide passivating contact enabled by polysilicon on ultra-thin SiO 2 for advanced silicon radiation detectors

Conventional silicon junction detectors encounter significant carrier recombination within the heavily doped p⁺ and n⁺ layers, as well as beneath the metal contact regions, creating the so-called “dead layers”, especially on the detector side. In this study, we present the tunnel oxide passivating contact with doped polysilicon on oxide, which demonstrates exceptional surface passivation and carrier selectivity. The key innovation lies in an ultra-thin (~ 1.5 nm) interfacial oxide layer that facilitates efficient majority carrier transportation via tunneling while effectively block minority carriers. Remarkably low saturation current densities, ranging from 5 to 10 fA/cm² even with the metal contact, underscore the superiority of both n-type and p-type tunnel oxide passivating contacts. In contrast, conventional p–n junction or high-low junction exhibit saturation current densities ranging from 10 to 90 fA/cm² in the studied p⁺ and n⁺ layers with surface passivation schemes due to Auger recombination and surface recombination, and 1000–6000 fA/cm² with metal contacts due to intense metal-induced recombination at the interface. These findings indicate the potential and superiority of implementing n-type tunnel oxide passivating contact on the detector side and p-type contact on the back side for advanced silicon radiation detectors. This approach would enable thorough collection of generated charge carriers along the track of incident ionizing radiation particles, leading to improved energy resolution and reduced noise levels.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Defect characterization and charge transport measurements in high-resolution Ni/n-4H-SiC Schottky barrier radiation detectors fabricated on 250 μ m epitaxial layers

Advances in the growth processes of 4H-SiC epitaxial layers have led to the continued expansion of epilayer thickness, allowing for the detection of more penetrative radioactive particles. In this work, we report the fabrication and characterization of high-resolution Schottky barrier radiation detectors on 250 μm thick n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layers, the highest reported thickness to date. Several 8 × 8 mm 2 detectors were fabricated from a diced 100 mm diameter 4H-SiC epitaxial wafer grown on a conductive 4H-SiC substrate with a mean micropipe density of 0.11 cm -2 From the Mott–Schottky plots, the effective doping concentration was found to be in the range (0.95–1.85) × 10 14 cm -3 , implying that full depletion could be achieved at ~5.7 kV (0.5 MV/cm at the interface). The current-voltage characteristics demonstrated consistently low leakage current densities of 1–3 nA/cm 2 at a reverse bias of -800 V. This resulted in the pulse-height spectra generated using a 241Am alpha source (5486 keV) manifesting an energy resolution of less than 0.5% full width at half maximum (FWHM) for all the detectors at -200 V. The charge collection efficiencies (CCEs) were measured to be 98–99% with no discernable correlation to the energy resolution. A drift-diffusion model fit to the variation of CCE as a function of bias voltage, revealed a minority carrier diffusion length of ~10 μm. Deep level transient spectroscopy measurements on the best resolution detector revealed that the excellent performance was the result of having ultralow concentrations of the order of 1011 cm-3 lifetime limiting defects—Z 1/2 and EH 6/7 .

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of a radiation detector based on opaque water-based liquid scintillator

Here, we present the characterization of a novel radiation detector based on an opaque water-based liquid scintillator. Opaque scintillators, also known as LiquidO, are made to be highly scattering, such that the scintillation light is effectively confined, and read out through wavelength-shifting fibers. The 1-liter, 32-channel prototype demonstrates the capability for both spectroscopy and topological reconstruction of point-like events. The design, construction, and evaluation of the detector are described, including modeling of the scintillation liquid optical properties and the detector’s response to gamma rays of several energies. A mean position reconstruction error of 4.4 mm for 1.6 MeV-equivalent events and 7.4 mm for 0.8 MeV-equivalent events is demonstrated using a simple reconstruction approach analogous to center-of-mass.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Pulse-shape analysis in Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 Te 0.98 Se 0.02 room-temperature radiation detectors

The effect of trapping of charge carriers on the shape of the charge pulses from room temperature nuclear detectors, based on a recently discovered quaternary semiconductor Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 Te 0.98 Se 0.02 (CZTS), has been studied. Here, we present a charge-trapping model that explains the pulse shapes for its entire duration from radiation detectors containing multiple defect types. A piecewise continuous model, based on the movement of a large number of charge carriers rather than a single charge, has been proposed to explain the pulse shapes from planar room temperature nuclear detectors. An experimental method based on the model has been described to extract charge-trapping information. This model can be applied to similar semiconductor detectors with electrically active trap centers, in general, to extract information like pre-trapping drift times. Charge pulses from a CZTS planar detector, exposed to 5486 keV alpha particles emitted by a 241Am source, were acquired using a digitizer, and the pulse shapes were explained based on the proposed model. The pre-trapping drift times for electrons as well as holes in CZTS were calculated and studied as a function of operating bias voltage, and a contrast between their bias dependent behaviors was noticed, indicating the behavioral difference of electron and hole traps.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1977

High-energy cosmic-ray electrons - A new measurement using transition-radiation detectors

A new detector for cosmic-ray electrons, consisting of a combination of a transition-radiation detector and a shower detector, has been constructed, calibrated at accelerator beams, and exposed in a balloon flight under 5 g/sq cm of atmosphere. The design of this instrument and the methods of data analysis are described. Preliminary results in the energy range 9-300 GeV are presented. The energy spectrum of electrons is found to be significantly steeper than that of protons, consistent with a long escape lifetime of cosmic rays in the galaxy.

Hartmann, G.↗