Development of thermal neutron detector based on Lithium Tetraborate (LTB) single crystal

High quality single crystals of Ag doped lithium tetraborate (Li₂B₄O₇:Ag) have been grown using the Czochralski technique. The presence of naturally abundant ⁶Li and ¹⁰B in the crystal has been gainfully utilized to fabricate compact devices to measure thermal neutron fluxes from various sources. To achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio, a thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) measurement set-up has been developed using a solar-blind PMT that has a matching response with the emission from Ag⁺ ions. The measurements were carried out ex-situ as well as in real-time. (author)