Realization and evaluation of doping and coating neutron sensitive MCP

High detection efficiency, good spatial resolution are both favorable properties in neutron detection of CPHS (Compact Pulsed Hadron Source) in Tsinghua University. Compact geometry (pore diameter of 13.5 μm and pitch of 16.25 μm) of micro-channel plate (MCP) may be beneficial for excellent resolution realization. However, MCP glass is not intrinsically neutron sensitive so neutron absorption nuclides should be introduced artificially. In this paper, thermal neutron sensitive MCPs are realized with 10mole% natB2O3 doping and ∼40 nm thick natGd2O3 coating layer on the inner surface of MCP pores respectively. Doping directly changes the component of MCP glass and coating is realized with atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. Collimation experiments conducted with thermal neutron beam provided by a light water reactor of China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) confirmed the neutron sensitivity of these two MCPs. Thermal neutron sensitive MCPs are realized and show potential to be used in high detection efficiency and spatial resolution thermal neutron imaging.