Application of LiTaO3 pyroelectric crystal for pulsed neutron detection

• LiTaO3 pyroelectric neutron detector can be used with no additional neutron converter.
• Relationship between the pulsed neutron field and the voltage signal was obtained.
• Experiment was carried out to test the response of LiTaO3 detector.
• Feasibility of LiTaO3 for intense neutron pulse measurement was confirmed.

The feasibility of a LiTaO3 pyroelectric crystal for pulsed neutron detection has been studied. The detector consists of a slice of electroded Z-cut LiTaO3 pyroelectric crystal, and no additional neutron converter is required owing to the Li contained in the crystal. The slight temperature increase caused by neutron radiation will lead to the release of bound charges and will give rise to a pyroelectric signal. The response of it has been studied both theoretically and experimentally. Our preliminary experiment on the CFBR-II reactor suggests that the LiTaO3 pyroelectric detector is promising for high intensity neutron – pulse measurement.