Neutron Detection with a Work Function Reference Circuit

A novel type of solid state particle detector has been designed and investigated. The core design is a bandgap reference circuit using gallium nitride (GaN) Schottky diodes, designed to output a voltage proportional to the Schottky barrier height. As a semiconductor, gallium nitride exhibits an electrical response to high-energy particle impingement through the creation of electron-hole pairs. It also exhibits an additional type of response to lattice vibrations induced in the crystal lattice by momentum transfer from the incident particle. Acoustic waves generated during this transfer create mechanical strain which induces an electric field via the piezoelectric effect, which subsequently modulates the effective barrier height of the Schottky diode. This talk presents experimental demonstration of a prototype circuit and its transient responses to alpha and neutron irradiation.