Bulk semiconducting scintillator device for radiation detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9429662-B2
Application number	US-201414230822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2014
Priority date	Oct 23, 2012
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A bulk semiconducting scintillator device, including: a Li-containing semiconductor compound of general composition Li-III-VI 2 , wherein III is a Group III element and VI is a Group VI element; wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound is used in one or more of a first mode and a second mode, wherein: in the first mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to an electrical circuit under bias operable for measuring electron-hole pairs in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of neutrons and the Li-containing semiconductor compound is also coupled to current detection electronics operable for detecting a corresponding current in the Li-containing semiconductor compound; and, in the second mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to a photodetector operable for detecting photons generated in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of the neutrons.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bulk semiconducting scintillator device, comprising:
a Li-containing semiconductor compound of general composition Li-III-VI 2 , wherein III is a Group III element and VI is a Group VI element;
wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound is simultaneously configured to be selectively used in one or more of a first mode and a second mode, wherein:
in the first mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to an electrical circuit under bias operable for measuring electron-hole pairs in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of neutrons and the Li-containing semiconductor compound is also coupled to current detection electronics operable for detecting a corresponding current in the Li-containing semiconductor compound; and
in the second mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to a photodetector operable for detecting photons generated in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of the neutrons.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound comprises 6 LiInSe 2 .

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the photons are generated in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of the neutrons in a 6 Li(n,α) reaction.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound is free of dopants.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the photodetector comprises a solid-state Si photomultiplier.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the generated photons are wavelength matched to the solid-state Si photomultiplier.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein, when the Li-containing semiconductor compound is used in both the first mode and the second mode, a coincident counting algorithm is used to detect the neutrons.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the Li-III-VI 2 semiconductor compound is formed by the process of:
melting the Group III element;
adding a Group I element to the melted Group III element at a rate that allows the Group I and Group III elements to react thereby providing a single phase I-III compound; and
adding the Group VI element to the single phase I-III compound at elevated temperature;
wherein the Group I element comprises Li.

9. A bulk semiconducting scintillator method, comprising:
providing a Li-containing semiconductor compound of general composition Li-III-VI 2 , wherein III is a Group III element and VI is a Group VI element;
wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound is simultaneously configured to be selectively used in one or more of a first mode and a second mode, wherein:
in the first mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to an electrical circuit under bias operable for measuring electron-hole pairs in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of neutrons and the Li-containing semiconductor compound is also coupled to current detection electronics operable for detecting a corresponding current in the Li-containing semiconductor compound; and
in the second mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to a photodetector operable for detecting photons generated in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of the neutrons.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound comprises 6 LiInSe 2 .

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the photons are generated in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of the neutrons in a 6 Li(n,α) reaction.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound is free of dopants.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the photodetector comprises a solid-state Si photomultiplier.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the generated photons are wavelength matched to the solid-state Si photomultiplier.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein, when the Li-containing semiconductor compound is used in both the first mode and the second mode, a coincident counting algorithm is used to detect the neutrons.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the Li-III-VI 2 semiconductor compound is formed by the process of:
melting the Group III element;
adding a Group I element to the melted Group III element at a rate that allows the Group I and Group III elements to react thereby providing a single phase I-III compound; and
adding the Group VI element to the single phase I-III compound at elevated temperature;
wherein the Group I element comprises Li.

Assignees

• Stowe Ashley C
• Burger Arnold
• Groza Michael
• Cons Nuclear Security Llc
• Fisk Univ

Inventors

• Stowe Ashley C
• Burger Arnold
• Groza Michael

Classifications

• C30B29/46 Primary

  Sulfur-, selenium- or tellurium-containing compounds · CPC title

• G01T3/08

  with semiconductor detectors · CPC title

• G01T1/2023 Primary

  Selection of materials · CPC title