$\Beta$ -Ga2o3solid-state Devices for Fast Neutron Detection

Examination of Ga2O3 as solid-state nuclear detector was carried out. Ga2O3 is a wide bandgap material with beneficial physical properties that enable its application in harsh environmental conditions, such as elevated temperature or strong electromagnetic field; therefore, Ga2O3 could become a competitor of diamond and 4H silicon-carbide nuclear detectors. Furthermore, because of its high oxygen content the new detector material can play an important role in the field of reactor research due to the O-16(n, alpha)C-13 reaction. Monocrystalline beta-Ga2O3 samples were investigated under 14 MeV fast neutron irradiation. On unintentionally doped semiconducting and Mgdoped insulating crystals metallic films were deposited in order to form the contact electrodes for biasing and to collect the electron-hole pairs generated by secondary particles after nuclear interactions between neutrons and the nuclei of the Ga2O3 crystal. The Mg-doped sample could be operated from zero up to more than 1000 V biasing level. The recorded electric signal and energy histograms were investigated.