SOLID STATE NEUTRON DOSIMETER FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE RADIATION EXPOSURE OF PERSONNEL ENGAGED IN SPACE FLIGHT IS THE SIGNIFICANT FLUX OF HIGH ENERGY NEUTRONS ARISING FROM BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES OF IONIZING RADIATION. PRESENTLY, THERE DOES NOT EXIST A SUITABLE AND COMPACT NEUTRON SENSOR CAPABLE OF BEING INCORPORATED IN A FLIGHT INSTRUMENT TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY, REAL TIME MEASUREMENT OF THIS IMPORTANT RADIATION FLUX. WE PROPOSE TO CONSTRUCT SUCH AN INSTRUMENT USING A SPECIAL PIN SILICON DIODE WHICH HAS THE ATTRACTIVE PROPERTY OF BEING QUITE INSENSITIVE TO THE OTHER FORMS OF IONIZING RADIATION THAT PRESENT DIFFICULTIES TO MORE TRADITIONAL NEUTRON SENSORS. TO ACHIEVE THIS RESULT, INNOVATIVE RESEARCH WILL HAVE TO BE CONDUCTED ON THE PHYSICS OF THE DIODE AS WELL AS INTO SPECIALIZED ELECTRONICSCAPABLE OF READING THE DIODE WITHOUT PERTURBING ITS BEHAVIOR. THE RESULTING INSTRUMENT WILL HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF BEING FLIGHT PACKAGED AND READILY INTERFACED WITH OTHER EXISTING DOSIMETERS.