Fisk University

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

Sandia National Laboratories

Other

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Vanderbilt University

The University of Tennessee Research Foundation

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC

Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, LLC

Arnold Burger

Ashley Clinton Stowe

Stephen Anthony Payne

Nerine Jane Cherepy

Ralph B James

Douglas A Chinn

Gomez W Wright

Giulia E Hull

Alexander D Drobshoff

Michael Groza

Henry S Chang

Aaron L Washington, Ii

Zane William Bell

Brenden W Wiggins

Lucile C Teague

Pijush Bhattacharya

Christian Pedrini

Martine C Duff

Donald O Nason

Keivan Stassun

Yevgeniy Tupitsyn

Kuo-Tong Chen

Eric Lukosi

Krishna C Mandal

Disclosed and described herein are embodiments and methods of use of a gamma ray spectroscope. In one aspect the gamma ray spectroscope comprises a scintillator for receiving radiation and a solid-state photomultiplier for detecting and amplifying light emitted by the scintillator in response to the received radiation, wherein an electrical output signal is provided by the photomultiplier that is proportional to the received radiation.

Gamma ray spectroscope for determining a composition of an asteroid or the regolith of the asteroid

According to one embodiment, a scintillator includes a host material having the chemical formula: ABX, where A includes a monovalent ion, B includes a tetravalent ion, and X includes a halide ion.

[object Object]

A radiation detection device, including: a support structure; and a chalcopyrite crystal coupled to the support structure; wherein, when the chalcopyrite crystal is exposed to radiation, a visible spectrum of the chalcopyrite crystal changes from an initial color to a modified color. The visible spectrum of the chalcopyrite crystal is changed back from the modified color to the initial color by annealing the chalcopyrite crystal at an elevated temperature below a melting point of the chalcopyrite crystal over time. The chalcopyrite crystal is optionally aLiInSecrystal. The radiation is comprised of neutrons that decrease theLi concentration of the chalcopyrite crystal via aLi(n,&#x3b1;) reaction. The initial color is yellow and the modified color is one of orange and red. The annealing temperature is between about 450 degrees C. and about 650 degrees C. and the annealing time is between about 12 hrs and about 36 hrs.

Rechargeable solid state neutron detector and visible radiation indicator

A combined thermal neutron detector and gamma-ray spectrometer system, including: a first detection medium including a lithium chalcopyrite crystal operable for detecting neutrons; a gamma ray shielding material disposed adjacent to the first detection medium; a second detection medium including one of a doped metal halide, an elpasolite, and a high Z semiconductor scintillator crystal operable for detecting gamma rays; a neutron shielding material disposed adjacent to the second detection medium; and a photodetector coupled to the second detection medium also operable for detecting the gamma rays; wherein the first detection medium and the second detection medium do not overlap in an orthogonal plane to a radiation flux. Optionally, the first detection medium includes aLiInSecrystal. Optionally, the second detection medium includes a SrI(Eu) scintillation crystal.

Handheld dual thermal neutron detector and gamma-ray spectrometer

A combined thermal neutron detector and gamma-ray spectrometer system, including: a detection medium including a lithium chalcopyrite crystal operable for detecting thermal neutrons in a semiconductor mode and gamma-rays in a scintillator mode; and a photodetector coupled to the detection medium also operable for detecting the gamma rays. Optionally, the detection medium includes aLiInSecrystal. Optionally, the detection medium comprises a compound formed by the process of: melting a Group III element; adding a Group I element to the melted Group III element at a rate that allows the Group I and Group III elements to react thereby providing a single phase I-III compound; and adding a Group VI element to the single phase I-III compound and heating; wherein the Group I element includes lithium.

Thermal neutron detector and gamma-ray spectrometer utilizing a single material

A neutron imaging system, including: a plurality of Li-III-VIsemiconductor crystals arranged in an array, wherein III represents a Group III element and VI represents a Group VI element; and electronics operable for detecting and a charge in each of the plurality of crystals in the presence of neutrons and for imaging the neutrons. Each of the crystals is formed by: melting the Group III element; adding the Li to the melted Group III element at a rate that allows the Li and Group III element to react, thereby providing a single phase Li-III compound; and adding the Group VI element to the single phase Li-III compound and heating. Optionally, each of the crystals is also formed by doping with a Group IV element activator.

Neutron imaging systems utilizing lithium-containing semiconductor crystals

A photodetector device, including: a scintillator material operable for receiving incident radiation and emitting photons in response; a photodetector material coupled to the scintillator material operable for receiving the photons emitted by the scintillator material and generating a current in response, wherein the photodetector material includes a chalcopyrite semiconductor crystal; and a circuit coupled to the photodetector material operable for characterizing the incident radiation based on the current generated by the photodetector material. Optionally, the scintillator material includes a gamma scintillator material and the incident radiation received includes gamma rays. Optionally, the photodetector material is further operable for receiving thermal neutrons and generating a current in response. The circuit is further operable for characterizing the thermal neutrons based on the current generated by the photodetector material.

Visible scintillation photodetector device incorporating chalcopyrite semiconductor crystals

In one embodiment, a material comprises a crystal comprising strontium iodide providing at least 50,000 photons per MeV, where the strontium iodide material is characterized by a volume not less than 1 cm. In another embodiment, a scintillator optic includes europium-doped strontium iodide providing at least 50,000 photons per MeV, where the europium in the crystal is primarily Eu, and the europium is present in an amount greater than about 1.6%. A scintillator radiation detector in yet another embodiment includes a scintillator optic comprising SrIand BaI, where a ratio of SrIto BaIis in a range of between 0:1 and 1.0, the scintillator optic is a crystal that provides at least 50,000 scintillation photons per MeV and energy resolution of less than about 5% at 662 keV, and the crystal has a volume of 1 cmor more; the scintillator optic contains more than about 2% europium.

Barium iodide and strontium iodide crystals and scintillators implementing the same

In one embodiment, a crystal includes at least one metal halide; and an activator dopant comprising ytterbium. In another general embodiment, a scintillator optic includes: at least one metal halide doped with a plurality of activators, the plurality of activators comprising: a first activator comprising europium, and a second activator comprising ytterbium. In yet another general embodiment, a method for manufacturing a crystal suitable for use in a scintillator includes mixing one or more salts with a source of at least one dopant activator comprising ytterbium; heating the mixture above a melting point of the salt(s); and cooling the heated mixture to a temperature below the melting point of the salts. Additional materials, systems, and methods are presented.

A bulk semiconducting scintillator device, including: a Li-containing semiconductor compound of general composition Li-III-VI, wherein III is a Group III element and VI is a Group VI element; wherein the Li-containing semiconductor compound is used in one or more of a first mode and a second mode, wherein: in the first mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to an electrical circuit under bias operable for measuring electron-hole pairs in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of neutrons and the Li-containing semiconductor compound is also coupled to current detection electronics operable for detecting a corresponding current in the Li-containing semiconductor compound; and, in the second mode, the Li-containing semiconductor compound is coupled to a photodetector operable for detecting photons generated in the Li-containing semiconductor compound in the presence of the neutrons.

Bulk semiconducting scintillator device for radiation detection

A method for synthesizing I-III-VIcompounds, including: melting a Group III element; adding a Group I element to the melted Group III element at a rate that allows the Group I and Group III elements to react thereby providing a single phase I-III compound; and adding a Group VI element to the single phase I-III compound under heat, with mixing, and/or via vapor transport. The Group III element is melted at a temperature of between about 200 degrees C. and about 700 degrees C. Preferably, the Group I element consists of a neutron absorber and the group III element consists of In or Ga. The Group VI element and the single phase I-III compound are heated to a temperature of between about 700 degrees C. and about 1000 degrees C. Preferably, the Group VI element consists of S, Se, or Te. Optionally, the method also includes doping with a Group IV element activator.

Methods for synthesizing semiconductor quality chalcopyrite crystals for nonlinear optical and radiation detection applications and the like

An apparatus and process is provided to illustrate the manipulation of the internal electric field of CZT using multiple wavelength light illumination on the crystal surface at RT. The control of the internal electric field is shown through the polarization in the IR transmission image under illumination as a result of the Pockels effect.

Modification of solid state CdZnTe (CZT) radiation detectors with high sensitivity or high resolution operation

In one embodiment, a material comprises a crystal comprising strontium iodide providing at least 50,000 photons per MeV. A scintillator radiation detector according to another embodiment includes a scintillator optic comprising europium-doped strontium iodide providing at least 50,000 photons per MeV. A scintillator radiation detector in yet another embodiment includes a scintillator optic comprising SrIand BaI, wherein a ratio of SrIto BaIis in a range of between 0:1 A method for manufacturing a crystal suitable for use in a scintillator includes mixing strontium iodide-containing crystals with a source of Eu, heating the mixture above a melting point of the strontium iodide-containing crystals, and cooling the heated mixture near the seed crystal for growing a crystal. Additional materials, systems, and methods are presented.

A semiconductor detector for ionizing electromagnetic radiation, neutrons, and energetic charged particles. The detecting element is comprised of a compound having the composition I-III-VIor II-IV-Vwhere the 'I' component is from column 1A or 1B of the periodic table, the 'II' component is from column 2B, the &#x201c;III&#x201d; component is from column 3A, the &#x201c;IV&#x201d; component is from column 4A, the &#x201c;V&#x201d; component is from column 5A, and the &#x201c;VI&#x201d; component is from column 6A. The detecting element detects ionizing radiation by generating a signal proportional to the energy deposited in the element, and detects neutrons by virtue of the ionizing radiation emitted by one or more of the constituent materials subsequent to capture. The detector may contain more than one neutron-sensitive component.

Semiconductor radiation detector

GaTe semiconductor is used as a room-temperature radiation detector. GaTe has useful properties for radiation detectors: ideal bandgap, favorable mobilities, low melting point (no evaporation), non-hygroscopic nature, and availability of high-purity starting materials. The detector can be used, e.g., for detection of illicit nuclear weapons and radiological dispersed devices at ports of entry, in cities, and off shore and for determination of medical isotopes present in a patient.

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Nashville, TN, United States of America

Arnold Burger