https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2011-11150-0
Special Article - Tools for Experiment and Theory
Experimental investigation of a low-cost solid state detector with high spatial resolution for ultracold neutrons
1
Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
2
Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
3
Institut Laue-Langevin, 38042, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
* e-mail: lauert@uni-mainz.de
Received:
26
August
2011
Revised:
24
October
2011
Accepted:
28
October
2011
Published online:
30
November
2011
An ultracold-neutron detector based on a commercial CMOS webcam was investigated for the first time at the instrument PF2 of the Institut Laue-Langevin. In this feasibility study two different neutron converters, 10B and 6Li, were compared. For a standard high-definition videochip with an active area of 3.2 mm × 4.8 mm, a spatial resolution of ≈ 0.3 μm is possible to obtain. For a 430 nm thin 6Li converter, positioned in front of the webcam, a detection efficiency of (47.1 ± 0.6)% was found.
© SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2011
