TY - JOUR
T1 - Modelling the response of semiconductor based thermal neutron detectors with MCNP 6.2 and PHITS
AU - Bedogni, R.
AU - Calamida, A.
AU - Castro-Campoy, A. I.
AU - Gómez-Ros, J. M.
AU - Lega, A.
AU - Moraleda, M.
AU - Pietropaolo, A.
AU - Altieri, S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work has been partially supported by INFN projects TT_DOIN (Comitato Nazionale per il Trasferimento Tecnologico) and ENTER_BNCT (Commissione Scientifica Nazionale 5) and Spanish project PGC2018-093836-B-C21 ( MICINN, Spain , cofounded with FEDER ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - This paper describes the experimental characterization and Monte Carlo (MC) modelling of developed thermal neutron detectors based on p-i-n silicon diodes covered with micrometric layers of 6LiF, called TNPD (Thermal Neutron Pulse Detector). TNPDs are routinely manufactured at INFN-LNF for a variety of neutron measurement applications. TNPDs with different 6LiF thickness, in the range 10–60 μm, were manufactured and thoroughly modelled using two independent Monte Carlo transport codes: MCNP6.2 and PHITS. The simulations were focussed on determining the pulse height distribution induced in the detectors when exposed to thermal neutrons. A validation experiment was performed in the HOTNES thermal neutron calibration facility (ENEA/INFN Frascati, Italy). The simulated pulse height distributions matched very well the experimental ones in terms of both shape and energy-integrated quantities. No scaling factors were needed. This work is an important milestone for the INFN-LNF detector-manufacturing laboratory. In addition, it provides guidance for others who need to accurately predict the response of similar detectors in a wide range of applications.
AB - This paper describes the experimental characterization and Monte Carlo (MC) modelling of developed thermal neutron detectors based on p-i-n silicon diodes covered with micrometric layers of 6LiF, called TNPD (Thermal Neutron Pulse Detector). TNPDs are routinely manufactured at INFN-LNF for a variety of neutron measurement applications. TNPDs with different 6LiF thickness, in the range 10–60 μm, were manufactured and thoroughly modelled using two independent Monte Carlo transport codes: MCNP6.2 and PHITS. The simulations were focussed on determining the pulse height distribution induced in the detectors when exposed to thermal neutrons. A validation experiment was performed in the HOTNES thermal neutron calibration facility (ENEA/INFN Frascati, Italy). The simulated pulse height distributions matched very well the experimental ones in terms of both shape and energy-integrated quantities. No scaling factors were needed. This work is an important milestone for the INFN-LNF detector-manufacturing laboratory. In addition, it provides guidance for others who need to accurately predict the response of similar detectors in a wide range of applications.
KW - HOTNES
KW - LEMRAP
KW - MCNP6.2
KW - Neutron detectors
KW - PHITS
KW - TNPD
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U2 - 10.1016/j.nima.2021.165855
DO - 10.1016/j.nima.2021.165855
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85116575082
VL - 1018
JO - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
JF - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
SN - 0168-9002
M1 - 165855
ER -