Neutron detector with layered thermal-neutron scintillator and dual function light guide and thermalizing media
First Claim
1. A broad spectrum neutron detector comprising a thermal neutron sensitive scintillator film having a high concentration of an element which has a high probability of thermal neutron absorption with the subsequent emission of an energetic alpha, proton, or triton with several MeV of energy, interleaved with a hydrogenous thermalizing media having a property of reducing the velocity of incoming fission neutrons to thermal energies substantially without producing light.
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Abstract
A broad spectrum neutron detector has a thermal neutron sensitive scintillator film interleaved with a hydrogenous thermalizing media. The neutron detector has negligible sensitivity to gamma rays and produces a strong and unambiguous signal for virtually all neutrons that interact with the hydrogenous volume. The interleaving of the layers of thermal neutron sensitive phosphors helps ensure that all parts of the thermalizing volume are highly sensitive.
54 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A broad spectrum neutron detector comprising a thermal neutron sensitive scintillator film having a high concentration of an element which has a high probability of thermal neutron absorption with the subsequent emission of an energetic alpha, proton, or triton with several MeV of energy, interleaved with a hydrogenous thermalizing media having a property of reducing the velocity of incoming fission neutrons to thermal energies substantially without producing light.
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13. A neutron detector comprising:
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a thermal neutron sensing scintillator comprising at least four thermal neutron sensitive scintillator film layers interleaved with and optically coupled to at least five layers of a light guide-thermalizing media having a property of reducing the velocity of incoming fission neutrons to thermal energies substantially without producing light, wherein the thermal neutron sensitive scintillator film is selected from the group consisting of 10BN and other alpha particle sensitive phosphors doped with 6Li or 10B, and wherein the light guide-thermalizing media is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyltoluene, polyethylene, and high density polyethylene; a reflecting surface substantially enveloping said interleaved layers, wherein said reflecting surface comprises a tapered portion extending from an end of said interleaved layers for guiding light to a narrowed section; and a photo-sensor located at the narrowed section of the tapered portion. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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- 18. A broad spectrum neutron detector comprising means for absorbing thermal neutrons with the subsequent emission of an energetic alpha, proton, or triton with several MeV of energy, interleaved with means for reducing the velocity of incoming fission neutrons to thermal energies substantially without producing light.
Specification