Silicon Photomultipliers based neutron detector design: validation of Geant4 simulations

摘要

The demand for an alternative to 3He tubes in neutron detectors is growing. Specifically, the increase in challengingrequirements for applications in research, industry, safety and homeland security triggered the search for better-suiteddetectors. Therefore, we developed a high performance, comparatively low-cost and easy to build cold neutron detectorprototype (13.6 cm × 13.6 cm active area), employing digital silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) from Philips and a glassscintillator. The optical front end of the detector consists of a GS20® scintillator, enriched in 6Li, a light guide, SiPM arraysand an aluminum cap. In order to find the optimal front-end design, a series of Geant4 simulations were performed. In thiswork, we present a comparison between simulation results and measured validation data, considering the average numberof photons detected and the maximum ratio (brightest pixel response divided by the sum of all pixel responses), for multipledesign configurations.