A process to enable large-scale manufacturing of solid-state neutron detectors

The main objective of this DHS SBIR project is to enable large-scale and economical production of high-sensitivity, solid-state, thermal neutron detectors for use in radiological inspection. This will be done by testing a novel, high-density, energetic ion deposition technique for depositing the active material, boron-10, onto the patterned silicon, which forms the substrate for these devices. In particular, this process will be applied to the highly efficient neutron detectors, now under development at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The substrates for these new devices feature a micron-scale topography that is very difficult to coat with existing boron deposition techniques. Therefore, the Phase I project will combine the unique expertise at HY-Tech on efficient boron deposition with LLNLs expertise on the development and testing of the devices to move this technology to manufacturing readiness. Testing at LLNL will include electron microscopy to verify the effectiveness of the coating and thermal neutron conversion efficiency measurements to test the quality of the deposited material. In the Phase II, devices will be optimized and a prototype of a commercial boron deposition system will be developed.