Non-doped semiconductor neutron counter with high detection efficiency

A technology of production of a semiconductor detector with a pn junction is considered. The inversion layer of the detector is combined with an absorber and is formed by the ion doping method. To produce the detector use is made of a monocrystalline n-Si having a resistivity of 3000 Ohmxcm and a minority-carrier lifetime of 400 μs. Si is doped by ions of 10B with an energy fo 20 keV at a fluence of 1018 cm-2 and at room temperature. Doped samples are annealed under 10-6 mm Hg during 30 min at 400 deg C. The ion-doped detector detects thermal neutrons by detecting α-particles and nuclei of 7Li produced when neutrons are captured by 10B nuclei. The energy resolution of the detector is 46 keV for α-particles and 75 keV for 7Li nuclei. The slow neutron detection efficiency constitutes approximately 10 per cent