Gamma and X-ray sensitivity of Gd2O3 heterojunctions

We find that Gd2O3 thin films strongly favor a (-402) texture growth on a variety of substrates and will form heterojunction diodes with silicon, especially when doped with oxygen vacancies. Even in the thin film limit, these heterojunction diodes appear to be sensitive to gamma radiation, likely from the X-rays created by scattering events, adding to the numerous hurdles that must be overcome if Gd based semiconductor devices are to be used for solid state neutron detection applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.