High-efficiency microstructured semiconductor neutron detectors that are arrayed, dual-integrated, and stacked.

Silicon diodes with large aspect ratio 3D microstructures backfilled with 6LiF show a significant increase in neutron detection efficiency beyond that of conventional thin-film coated planar devices. Described in this work are advancements in the technology using detector stacking methods and summed-detector 6×6-element arraying methods to dramatically increase the sensitivity to thermal neutrons. The intrinsic detection efficiency of the 6×6 array for normal-incident 0.0253 eV neutrons was found 6.8% compared against a calibrated 3He proportional counter.