Performance of Semiconductor Radiation Sensors for Simple and Low-cost Radiation Detector

ABSTRACTThe massive crystal growth of single crystal semiconductors materials has been of fundamental importance for the actual electronic devices industry. As a consequence of this one, we can obtain easily a large variety of low cost devices almost as made ones of silicon. Nowadays, the III-V semiconductors compounds and their alloys have been proved to be very important because of their optical properties and applications. It is the case of the elements In, Ga, As, Sb, which can be utilized for the fabrication of radiation sensors. In this work we present the results obtained from the ingots grown by the Czochralski method, using a growth system made in home. These results include anisotropic chemical attacks in order to reveal the crystallographic orientation and the possible polycrystallinity. Isotropic chemical attacks were made to evaluate the etch pit density. Metallographic pictures of the chemical attacks are presented in this work. Among the results of these measurements, the best samples presented in this work showed mobilities of 62.000 cm2/V*s at room temperature and 99.000 cm2/V*s at liquid nitrogen temperature. Typical pit density was 10,000/cm2. The Raman spectra present two dominant peaks associated at Transversal Optical (TO)- and Longitudinal Optical (LO)-InSb, the first vibrational mode is dominant due to the crystalline direction of the ingots and second one is associated to high defects density.

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A Novel X-Ray Radiation Sensor Based on Networked SnO2 Nanowires

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app9224878 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (22) ◽

pp. 4878 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jae-Hun Kim ◽

Ali Mirzaei ◽

Hyoun Woo Kim ◽

Hong Joo Kim ◽

Phan Quoc Vuong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Low Cost ◽

X Rays ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Radiation Sensor ◽

Sno2 Nanowires ◽

Radiation Sensors

X-Ray radiation sensors that work at room temperature are in demand. In this study, a novel, low-cost real-time X-ray radiation sensor based on SnO2 nanowires (NWs) was designed and tested. Networked SnO2 NWs were produced via the vapor–liquid–solid technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were used to explore the crystallinity and morphology of synthesized SnO2 NWs. The fabricated sensor was exposed to X-rays (80 kV, 0.0–2.00 mA) and the leakage current variations were recorded at room temperature. The SnO2 NWs sensor showed a high and relatively linear response with respect to the X-ray intensity. The X-ray sensing results show the potential of networked SnO2 NWs as novel X-ray sensors.

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Assessment and Correction of Solar Radiation Measurements with Simple Neural Networks

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11111160 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1160

Author(s):

Jason Kelley

Keyword(s):

Neural Networks ◽

Solar Radiation ◽

Low Cost ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Data Driven ◽

Technical Requirements ◽

Standard Procedures ◽

Comparable Accuracy ◽

Radiation Sensors ◽

Radiation Measurements

Solar radiation received at the Earth’s surface provides the energy driving all micro-meteorological phenomena. Local solar radiation measurements are used to estimate energy mediated processes such as evapotranspiration (ET); this information is important in managing natural resources. However, the technical requirements to reliably measure solar radiation limits more extensive adoption of data-driven management. High-quality radiation sensors are expensive, delicate, and require skill to maintain. In contrast, low-cost sensors are widely available, but may lack long-term reliability and intra-sensor repeatability. As weather stations measure solar radiation and other parameters simultaneously, machine learning can be used to integrate various types of environmental data, identify periods of erroneous measurements, and estimate corrected values. We demonstrate two case studies in which we use neural networks (NN) to augment direct radiation measurements with data from co-located sensors, and generate radiation estimates with comparable accuracy to the data typically available from agro-meteorology networks. NN models that incorporated radiometer data reproduced measured radiation with an R2 of 0.9–0.98, and RMSE less than 100 Wm−2, while models using only weather parameters obtained R2 less than 0.75 and RMSE greater than 140 Wm−2. These cases show that a simple NN implementation can complement standard procedures for estimating solar radiation, create opportunities to measure radiation at low-cost, and foster adoption of data-driven management.

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A Custom-built Scanner for the Estimation of the Radiation Intercepted by a Tree Canopy

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.32.3.531d ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 531D-531

Author(s):

Rita Giuliani ◽

Eugenio Magnanini ◽

Luca Corelli Grappadelli

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Step Length ◽

Tree Canopy ◽

Photon Flux ◽

Data Logger ◽

The Difference ◽

Main Components ◽

Mathcad Software ◽

Radiation Sensors

This work proposes a methodology, by light-scanning below the canopy, to directly estimate the photon flux radiation (400–1200 nm) intercepted by single or row canopies. The system is based on the assumption that the light intercepted by the canopy, at a particular time, corresponds to the difference between the incoming potential radiation on a ground surface area (able to include the ground area shaded by the canopy), and the actual radiation influx to that area in presence of the canopy. To this purpose, light-scanning equipment has been designed, built, and tested, whose main components are two aligned multi-sensor bars (1.2 m long) and a CR10 data logger, equipped with an AM 416 Relay Multiplexer (Campbell Sci. Ltd., U.K.). The radiation sensors (BPW 14N TELEFUNKEN) were chosen because of their spectral sensitivity, along with low cost. The sensors have been placed along the bars, at 5-cm intervals, and fitted with a Teflon® diffuser to provide a cosine correction. Radiation measurements are taken moving parallelly the bars on the ground, step by step, to monitor a sample point grid (5 cm by step length). Preliminary radiation scans were taken during the summer in a 3-year-old peach orchard, trained as delayed vasette. Measurements were taken for a single canopy at various hours of the day. Moreover, radiation scans were taken at the same hour, over a 3-day timespan, while gradually defoliating the canopy. A custom-built software program has been developed for data handling. Mathcad software (Mathsoft Inc., U.S.) has been used to display the canopy shade image projected on the ground, the quantum map of the monitored area, and to calculate the light influx on the whole canopy. Moreover, the light spots on the ground determined by foliage gaps have been identified and the amount of radiation reaching the ground has been be estimated.

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Inexpensive Millimeter-Wave Communication Channel Using Glow Discharge Detector and Satellite Dish Antenna

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics9040677 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 677

Author(s):

Lidor Kahana ◽

Daniel Rozban ◽

Moshe Gihasi ◽

Amir Abramovich ◽

Yitzhak Yitzhaky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Glow Discharge ◽

Millimeter Wave ◽

Low Cost ◽

Radiation Detector ◽

Text Message ◽

Communication Link ◽

Temperature Plasma ◽

Plasma Device ◽

Point To Point ◽

Satellite Dish

A full proof of concept for low-cost millimeter wave (MMW) communication link is demonstrated in this study. The suggested MMW channel is based on a very inexpensive commercially available off-axis dish antenna usually used for TV satellites, two Arduino Uno micro controller boards, and glow discharge detectors (GDD). The GDD is a robust and inexpensive room-temperature plasma device which was found to be a sensitive MMW radiation detector. The Arduino micro controllers are used to encode a text message into serial bits and also decode it. Those serial bits were used to modulate the MMW radiation in On-Off keying. The detection of MMW radiation was performed using a simple and inexpensive GDD. The suggested MMW channel can be used as point to point backhaul wireless communication for the 5th generation of cellular communication.

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A simple low-cost photodiode radiation detector for monitoring in process PET radiochemistry

10.1063/1.4773978 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. Powell ◽

J. P. O'Neil

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Radiation Detector

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Design and Development of Low-Cost, Highly Stable Regulated High-Voltage Power Supply for Radiation Detector

International Journal of Engineering and Manufacturing ◽

10.5815/ijem.2015.02.01 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Md. Rajibur Rahaman Khan ◽

◽

Shin Won Kang

Keyword(s):

High Voltage ◽

Power Supply ◽

Low Cost ◽

Radiation Detector ◽

Design And Development ◽

High Voltage Power Supply

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Quartz Tuning Fork Sensor-Based Dosimetry for Sensitive Detection of Gamma Radiation

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14227035 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (22) ◽

pp. 7035

Author(s):

Nadyah Alanazi ◽

Abdullah N. Alodhayb ◽

Atheer Almutairi ◽

Hanan Alshehri ◽

Sarah AlYemni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gamma Radiation ◽

Resonance Frequency ◽

Tuning Fork ◽

Low Cost ◽

Radiation Detector ◽

Quartz Tuning Fork ◽

Fast Response ◽

Gold Coating ◽

Before And After ◽

Small Change

This study generally relates to nuclear sensors and specifically to detecting nuclear and electromagnetic radiation using an ultrasensitive quartz tuning fork (QTF) sensor. We aim to detect low doses of gamma radiation with fast response time using QTF. Three different types of QTFs (uncoated and gold coated) were used in this study in order to investigate their sensitivity to gamma radiations. Our results show that a thick gold coating on QTF can enhance the quality factor and increase the resonance frequency from 32.7 to 32.9 kHz as compared to uncoated QTF. The results also show that increasing the surface area of the gold coating on the QTF can significantly enhance the sensitivity of the QTF to radiation. We investigated the properties of gold-coated and uncoated QTFs before and after irradiation by scanning electron microscopy. We further investigated the optical properties of SiO2 wafers (quartz) by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The SE studies revealed that even a small change in the microstructure of the material caused by gamma radiation would have an impact on mechanical properties of QTF, resulting in a shift in resonance frequency. Overall, the results of the experiments demonstrated the feasibility of using QTF sensors as an easy to use, low-cost, and sensitive radiation detector.

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