Neutron detection system
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsDavid R. Rhiger, Bernard Harris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A neutron detector system including a neutron sensitive reaction layer may be configured to react with incident neutrons to form energetic particles. An energetic particle capturing layer may be configured to capture energetic particles emitted from the neutron sensitive reaction layer and convert the kinetic energy of the captured energetic particles to heat. A microbolometer sensing element responsive to the heat may be configured to detect the incident neutrons.
Claims20
A neutron detector system comprising:
- a neutron sensitive reaction layer configured to react with incident neutrons to form energetic particles;
- an energetic particle capturing layer configured to capture energetic particles emitted from the neutron sensitive reaction layer and convert the kinetic energy of the captured energetic particles to heat;
- and
- a microbolometer sensing element responsive to the heat configured to detect the incident neutrons.
The system of 1 in which the energetic particle capturing layer includes a heavy element capable of capturing most of the energetic particles emitted from the neutron sensitive reaction layer.
A method of making a neutron detector system, the method comprising:
- providing a microbolometer sensing element having a bridge supported by legs;
- disposing an energetic particle capturing layer configured to capture energetic particles emitted from the neutron sensitive reaction layer and convert the kinetic energy of the captured energetic particles to heat over the bridge;
- and
- disposing a neutron sensitive reaction layer over the energetic particle capturing layer.
A method for detecting neutrons comprising:
- reacting incident neutrons with a neutron sensitive reaction layer to form energetic particles;
- capturing energetic particles emitted from the neutron sensitive reaction layer and converting the kinetic energy of the captured energetic particles to heat;
- and
- detecting the incident neutrons using said heat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.