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Optical Properties Of Semiconducting Boron Carbide For Neutron Detection Applications, Ravi B. Billa

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Solid state neutron detection devices based on semiconducting boron carbide have the potential for nearly ideal neutron detection effciency for thermal neutrons. The present work is focused on characterizing optical properties of this semiconducting boron carbide material as a step in further development of the material for neutron detection and other applications.

Semiconducting boron carbide films were grown on silicon substrates using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and their optical properties were characterized using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry over a wide spectral range, from mid-infrared to vacuum-ultraviolet wavelengths. The effects of deposition substrate temperature and of post-deposition heat treatments on …