Crystalline silicon diodes as neutron detectors: Performances and perspectives

The design and development of crystalline silicon neutron detectors are discussed. Experimental results obtained on prototype systems, namely a diode and a microstrip device, are reported. The detector performances are discussed with special emphasis on detection efficiency, dead-time and positional resolution. Performances in signal-to-noise ratio when switching from medium-speed to fast VLSI readout electronics are reported for the prototype systems. Progress through various detection schemes is outlined and the expected performances of a position sensitive area detector for neutron scattering application are presented.