Pulse shape analysis of neutron signals in Si-based detectors

TL;DR

This paper evaluates different silicon-based neutron detectors and introduces a pulse shape analysis method to enhance neutron signal discrimination for real-time neutron detection applications.

Contribution

It presents a novel pulse shape analysis technique tailored for silicon-based neutron detectors to improve signal discrimination in real-time neutron detection.

Findings

Enhanced neutron signal discrimination using pulse shape analysis.

Successful real-time application demonstrated in time of flight instrumentation.

Improved detection performance across various silicon-based detectors.

Abstract

A series of test experiments on three different Si-based neutron detectors, namely a 1-d 128 channel, 0.5 mm space resolution Si microstrip sensor coupled to natural Gd converter, a medium size ? 1 cm2 PIN diode coupled to nGd2O3 or 157Gd2O3 converters, and a SiPM photomultiplier coupled to neutron scintillators, are presented to show the performances of this class of devices for thermal neutron detection. A pulse shape analysis method, designed to improve the performance of these devices by an optimized discrimination of the neutron signals from noise and background radiation, is proposed, described and tested. This study is aimed to real time applications and single event storage of the neutron information in time of flight instrumentation.