$^{10}{\rm B}_{4}{\rm C}$ Multi-Grid as an Alternative to $^{3}{\rm He}$ for Large Area Neutron Detectors
J. Birch,J.C. Buffet,J. Correa,P. Van Esch,B. Guerard,R. Hall-Wilton,C. Hoglund,L. Hultman,A. Khaplanov,Francesco Piscitelli;J. Birch;J.C. Buffet;J. Correa;P. Van Esch;B. Guerard;R. Hall-Wilton;C. Hoglund;L. Hultman;A. Khaplanov;Francesco Piscitelli;
ieee transactions on nuclear science2013Vol. 60pp. 871-878
219
piscitelli2013ieee$^{10}{\rm
Abstract
Despite its present shortage, 3 He continues to be the most common neutron converter for detectors in neutron scattering science. However, it is obvious that the development of large area neutron detectors based on alternative neutron converters is rapidly becoming a matter of urgency. In the technique presented here, grids each comprising 28 10 B 4 C layers (each 1 μm thick) are used to convert neutrons into ionizing particles which are subsequently detected in proportional gas counters. The total active area of the prototype is 8 cm × 200 cm. To instrument this detector 4.6 m 2 of 10 B-enriched boron carbide were coated onto aluminium blades using a DC magnetron sputtering machine.