| Popis: |
Research for a reliable solid-state semiconductor neutron detector continues because such a device has not been developed, and would have greater efficiency, than present-day gas-filled 3 He and 10 BF3 neutron detectors. Further, a semiconductor neutron detector would be more compact and rugged than most gas-filled or scintillator neutron detectors. The 6 Li(n,t) 4 He reaction yields a total Q value of 4.78 MeV, a larger yield than the 10 B(n,α) 7 Li, and is easily identified above background radiation interactions. Hence, devices composed of either natural Li (naturally 7.5% 6 Li) or enriched 6 Li (approximately 95% 6 Li) may provide a semiconductor material for compact high-efficiency neutron detectors. A sub-branch of the III-V semiconductors, the filled tetrahedral compounds, known as Nowotny-Juza compounds (A I B II C V ), are desirable for their cubic crystal structure and semiconducting electrical properties. These compounds were originally studied for photonic applications. In the present work, Equimolar portions of Li, Zn, and P or As were sealed under vacuum (10 � 6 Torr) in quartz |
Full Text from ScienceDirect