Thermal neutron detector based on COTS CMOS imagers and a conversion layer containing Gadolinium

MARTIN PEREZ; BLOSTEIN, JUAN JERÓNIMO; ALCALDE BESSIA, FABRICIO; TARTAGLIONE, AURELIANO; IVAN SIDELNIK; MIGUEL SOFO HARO; SUÁREZ, SERGIO; GIMENEZ, MELISA LUCÍA; BERISSO, MARIANO GÓMEZ; JOSE LIPOVETZKY

Workshop; 7th International Meeting of Union for Compact Accelerator-driven Neutron Sources; 2018

Departamento de Física

We will introduce a novel low cost position sensitive thermal neutron detection technique, based on a Commercial Off The Shelf CMOS image sensor covered with a Gadolinium containing conversion layer. A thermal neutron detection efficiency of 11.3% has been experimentally obtained. It was experimentally verified that the thermal neutron detection efficiency of this technique is independent on the intensity of the incident thermal neutron flux. Higher detection efficiencies could be achieved using thicker conversion layers. Based on the experimental results, a spatial resolution better than 25 μm is expected. This spatial resolution makes the proposed technique specially useful for neutron beam characterization, neutron beam dosimetry, high resolution neutron imaging, and several neutron scattering techniques.