| Solid-state thermal neutron detectors are typically composed of two distinct layers: a neutron converting layer and a semiconductor diode. The converting layer absorbs incident neutrons and converts them into one or more charged particles via nuclear reaction. The semiconductor diode absorbs the energy of one or more of the charged particle products and produces an electrical pulse when coupled to a charge sensitive amplifier. In this work the optimal thickness of both the converting layer and the semiconductor diode are evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations for two different converting materials ( 6LiF and 10B) and five common semiconductor materials used in radiation detection (Si, diamond, CdTe, GaAs, and ZnO). Diodes fabricated from Si wafers and thin films of both ZnO and CdTe are evaluated experimentally, both in terms of their alpha and neutron response. Thin film CdTe:CdS diodes are reported for the first time to produce a significant and reproducible electrical pulse from the impingement of a single alpha particle, demonstrating this material as a promising candidate for large-area solid-state neutron detectors. |
