Nuclear Experimentation with Semiconductor Detectors

Abstract

Significant progress has been made during the past year toward realizing the very great potential of semiconductor detectors in nuclear research; this paper will review this progress, together with brief reference to relevant earlier work. Representative fields where major advances have been recorded are those of electron and high energy heavier charged particle detection using Lithium drifted and other thick depletion layer devices, neutron detection studies, nuclear astrophysical research where the low mass, size, and power requirements are of paramount importance, focal plane studies with magnetic spectrographs involving multi-channel semiconductor systems, nuclear reaction product isotope identification with both hybrid gas and semiconductor detectors and with all semiconductor systems, high efficiency particle detection with large area mosaic detectors, and fission and other studies in high ambient neutral radiation fields where the junctions have unique advantages. Further applications are suggested.