Method and apparatus for neutron detection
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the present invention provide a neutron spectrometry system, comprising a plurality of semiconductor detector portions arranged in close proximity, wherein the detector portions are arranged in at least two non-parallel axes, wherein each detector portion is arranged to output a detection signal indicative of energy deposited in the detector portion by ionising particles induced in the device by incident neutrons, and a control unit arranged to receive the plurality of detection signals, and to allocate detection signals to one or more of a plurality of channels based on a number of substantially coincident detection signals for determining a spectrum of incident neutrons based thereon.
1. A neutron spectrometry system, comprising:
a plurality of semiconductor detector portions arranged in at least two non-parallel axes, wherein each of the plurality of detector portions is configured to output a respective detection signal indicative of energy deposited in the respective detector portion by ionising particles induced in the detector portion by incident neutrons; and
a control unit configured to receive the detection signals from the plurality of detector portions and configured to allocate the received detection signals to one or more of a plurality of channels based on a number of detection signals at least partially temporally coincident for determining a spectrum of incident neutrons based thereon, wherein the control unit is configured to allocate a detection signal output by a single detector portion of the plurality of detector portions having no temporally coincidence with the signals of the other detector portions to a first detection channel, to allocate detection signals output at least partly simultaneously by two detector portions of the plurality of detector portions to a second detector channel, and to allocate detection signals output at least partly simultaneously by three detector portions of the plurality of detector portions to a third detector channel.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each detector portion is configured to output the respective detection signal responsive to a magnitude of the energy deposited in the respective detector portion by the ionising particles.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of detector portions comprise one or more semiconductor devices having a sensitive region, wherein the respective detector portion is configured to output the detection signal in response to the ionising particles entering the sensitive region.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more semiconductor devices comprise diodes.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of detector portions are arranged to form an at least partial enclosure volume there-between.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the at least partial enclosure volume is filled with a gaseous or solid material.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of detector portions are arranged to inwardly face the enclosure volume.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more faces of the plurality of detector portions are covered with a convertor material.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the convertor material is a metal or a hydrogenous material.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detection signals are one of non-cumulatively and cumulatively allocated to the channels.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to allocate the detection signals to one or more of a plurality of sub-channels based on an energy of each detection signal.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to unfold a neutron spectrum based on the detection signals allocated to each channel.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the control unit is configured to unfold the spectrum of incident neutrons based on the detection signals allocated to each channel and sub-channel.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the control unit is configured to unfold the neutron spectrum using an iterative process based on an initial neutron spectrum.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detector portions are configured to detect a plurality of ionizing particles arising from interaction of a neutron with the spectrometry system.
16. A method of determining a neutron spectrum, comprising:
receiving detection signals from a plurality of semiconductor detector portions in response to neutron-induced ionising particles depositing energy in the semiconductor detector portions, wherein the plurality of semiconductor detector portions are arranged in at least two non-parallel axes;
determining a channel allocation of the detection signals based on a number of at least partially temporally coincident detection signals, wherein a detection signal output by a single detector portion of the plurality of detector portions having no temporally coincidence with the signals of the other detector portions is allocated to a first detection channel, detection signals output at least partly simultaneously by two detector portions of the plurality of detector portions are allocated to a second detector channel, and detection signals output at least partly simultaneously by three detector portions of the plurality of detector portions are allocated to a third detector channel; and
unfolding an energy spectrum of the neutrons based upon the channel allocations.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the detection signals are one of non-cumulatively and cumulatively allocated to the channels.
18. The method of claim 16 , comprising allocating the detection signals to one or more of a plurality of sub-channels based on an energy of each detection signal.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein unfolding the energy spectrum of the neutrons comprises using an iterative process based on an initial neutron spectrum.