Project Details
Description
Nuclear detection for the purposes of homeland security requires high sensitivity and resolution, to allow the detection of distant, shielded, or weak nuclear radiation sources. The most important type of radiation emitted from fissile materials is γ-rays of a wide variety of energies. The ideal detection material for nuclear applications would convert the energy of incident radiation quanta into an optical or electrical signal, which must accurately reflect information about the incident radiation. The two primary categories of γ-radiation detection media are scintillators and semiconductors. For both types, the radiation detection process begins with the absorption of photons and the creation of primary energetic charged particles. The proposed project investigates novel semiconductor chalcogenide materials for the detection of γ radiation at room temperature, but with strong emphasis on low cost. The program is integrated across several disciplines and spans materials synthesis, purification, crystal growth, electrical characterization, theory and detector fabrication.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 10/1/14 → 9/30/19 |
Funding
- Department of Homeland Security (2014-DN-077-ARI086-02)
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