Silicon carbide Schottky diode detector for fusion neutron yields monitoring using associated particle method.

• The SiC Schottky diode detector was fabricated and used to monitor D-T fusion neutron yields by associated particle method. • Accurate neutron yields were obtained and the results were highly consistent with the conventional Si surface barrier detector. • A long service lifetime of SiC detector based neutron yields monitoring system can be expected. The associated particle method is proven to be one of ideal options for D-T fusion neutron detection, acquiring accurate neutron yields by monitoring α particle. Semiconductor detectors can be used to detect α particle for compact size, high energy-resolution, and stable response. SiC detector with high radiation resistance is benefit for long service time in fusion neutron monitoring. In this paper, a SiC Schottky diode detector is used to detect associated α particles for D-T fusion neutron monitoring, and successfully gets accurate neutron yields, being highly consistent with the conventional Si surface barrier detector. It is encouraging to find out SiC detector can afford 2.56 × 109 cm−2 α particles irradiation, with slight performance degradation of dark current and energy resolution, indicating that SiC detector is a promising candidate for fusion neutron detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]