Abstract A semiconductor-based radiation-detector element particularly adapted to neutron detection, and the method for making the same, in which a high sensitivity single-crystal semiconductor substrate has diffused therein at-least-one region of 3 He gas, which remains resident therein, whereby, upon application of an inverse bias to the junction in the semiconductor substrate, the colliding of incident neutrons with the resident 3 He gas results in a reaction which produces hole-electron pairs in the depletion layer within the semiconductor, those hole-electron pairs producing output electrical pulses which appear at the output terminals of the detector for utilization by detection and measuring apparatus connected to the semiconductor-based radiation-detector element.
A semiconductor-based radiation-detector, including: a semiconductor substrate having first and second surfaces, said semiconductor substrate having a single-crystal structure; a neutron-sensitive-gas-diffused region proximate to at least one of said first and second surfaces, said diffused region being a low-temperature-plasma-CVD-formed region; coupling means for making a rectifying connection to one of said surfaces and an ohmic connection to the other of said surfaces; said diffused region being diffused with 3 He gas, only, said 3 He diffused region having an average gas concentration of substantially 10 21 atoms/cm 3 ; said coupling means including a layer of amorphous silicon deposited on said first surface, an ohmic contact on said amorphous layer and an ohmic contact on said second surface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
118 words
A semiconductor-based radiation-detector, including: a semiconductor substrate having first and second surfaces, said semiconductor substrate having a single-crystal structure; a neutron-sensitive-gas-diffused region proximate to at least one of said first and second surfaces, said diffused region being a low-temperature-plasma-CVD-formed region; coupling means for making a rectifying connection to one of said surfaces and an ohmic connection to the other of said surfaces; said diffused region being diffused with 3 He gas, only, said 3 He diffused region having an average gas concentration of substantially 10 21 atoms/cm 3 ; said coupling means including a layer of amorphous silicon deposited on said first surface, an ohmic contact on said amorphous layer and an ohmic contact on said second surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A detector according to claim 1 in which said diffused region is proximate to said first surface, only, and is of low resistivity.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A device according to claim 1 which includes, in addition, a p+ region in said substrate proximate to said second surface of said substrate.