Thermal Neutron Discrimination Using a Novel Phoswich Detector of Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce,B and CsI:Tl Single Crystals

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science Vol. 67; no. 11; pp. 2415 - 2420
• Main Authors: Kalyani, Tyagi, Mohit, Rawat, Sheetal, Singh, Awadh K., Patel, Tarun, Sarkar, P. S., Desai, Shraddha S., Kumar, G. Anil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.11.2020; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Absorption cross sections; Crystals; CsI:T; Detectors; Discrimination; Figure of merit; Gadolinium; Gd₃Ga₃Al₂O₁₂ (GGAG):Ce; Logic gates; Neutrons; Nuclear capture; Nuclear reactors; phoswich; Physics; Scintillation counters; scintillator; Scintillators; Sensors; single crystal; Single crystals; thermal neutron detection; Thermal neutrons
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/TNS.2020.3028901

A phoswich detector was fabricated using a combination of single-crystal scintillators of CsI:Tl and Gd 3 Ga 3 Al 2 O 12 :Ce,B. The performance characteristics of this novel phoswich detector were investigated for thermal neutron detection in the presence of different gamma backgrounds using an Am-Be source and in a research reactor beam line. High atomic density and excellent thermal neutron capture cross section of Gd leads to the high detection efficiency for thermal neutrons in a 1-mm thin disk of Gd 3 Ga 3 Al 2 O 12 crystal. The high figure of merit of ~6.5 obtained for thermal neutron detection ensures the detector's excellent discrimination property in the presence of high gamma background.